Missionary 


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Memorials 


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PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


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PRESENTED  BY 

Malcolm  0.   Young 

nv     JA/±     .J 82    W8     ±Go:7 

Wyeth,  Walter  N.  1833-1899 
Sarah  B.  Judson 


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SARAH  B;  JUDSON. 


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By  WALTER  N.  \V\^ETH,  D.  D., 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA- 


Bloom,  ocean-isle  !  lone  ocean-isle ! 
Thou  keep  'st  a  jewel  rarer 


PHILADELPHIA,  PA.: 
pubivished  by  the  author. 

i88q. 


5l^^il:c^tion, 


To  THE  Young  Men 

AND 

The  Young  Women 

OF   THE   CHURCHES. 

Very  Sincerely, 

The  Author, 


Electrotyped,  Printed  and  Bound  by  Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress, 

rilH  ALDINE   PRINTING  WORKS,  in  the  year  iSSg.by  W.  N.  Wyeth, 

No.  248  Walnut  Street,  in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of 

Cincinnati.  Congress,  at  Washington. 


THE  author  offers  this  volume,  the  second  of  the  series 
of  Missionary  Memorials,  as  a  further  contribution 
to  the  biographical  literature  of  Missions.  The  first  was 
received  so  cordially,  and  has  obtained  such  a  wide  circula- 
tion, that  he  is  encouraged  to  plan  for  a  number  of  them, 
believing  that  they  will  be  specially  useful  in  this  partic- 
ular period,  and  be  a  means  of  perpetuating  a  grateful 
remembrance  of  those  who  were  in  the  vanguard  of  the 
missionary  enterprise. 

Referring  to  the  times  and  labors  of  the  first  mission- 
aries, Rev.  J.  N.  Gushing,  D.  D.,  says:  "The  history  of 
those  days,  with  their  lessons  of  undoubted  faith,  of  firm 
trust  in  God  for  personal  protection,  and  unflinching  effort 
to  lay  some  foundations  for  Christianity,  is  an  inspiration 
which  the  Church  cannot  afford  to  lose." 

The  subject  of  this  Memorial  has  received  much  less 
mention  than  her  predecessor,  but  not  for  want  of  excel- 
lency of  character  nor  of  faithful  and  sacrificing  service. 
The  time  of  her  employment  was  full}-  twenty  years,  and 
her  ser\'ice  was  of  a  very  high  character,  both  the  intellect- 
ual and  the  spiritual.  There  is  but  one  elaborate  sketch 
of  her  life  extant,  and  that  one  is  out  of  print.     Tie  author 


IV  PREFATORY   NOTE. 

acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  it  for  material  and  in- 
spi ration  with  which  to  prepare  his  own  sketch  ;  while  he 
has  availed  himself  of  some  sources  of  information  and 
means  of  interest  not  heretofore  used,  and  has  aimed  to 
cast  the  light  of  events  upon  the  instructive  and  beneficent 
life  he  portrays. 

The  literary  talent  of  the  heroine  designedly  appears; 
also  that  of  her  chief  biographer,  the  charming  story- 
writer,  "  Fanny  Forester,"  who  became  the  third  wife  of 
Dr.  Judson. 

Believing  that  he  has  performed  a  good  work  for  the 
cause  of  Christ  in  placing  the  beautiful  character  of  Sarah 
B,  Judson  before  the  churches  in  this  form,  he  hopes  for 
the  verdict  of  a  large  circulation,  particularly  among  the 
young. 

W.  N.  W. 

No.  854  Union  Street, 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  April  i,  1889. 


PAGE 

I.    Girlhood — Ai^stead  and  Sai,em, 7 

II.  Promptings— Anywhere,  for  Soui.s,    ....       13 

III.  Events— Stranger  than  Fiction, 21 

IV.  Won — Married  and  Abroad, 32 

V.  Beginning— "Romance  of  Missions!"    .    .    .    .    42 

VI.  Home  and  Schooi. — Maulmain  and  Tavoy,      .       52 

VII.  "Triai,  of  Affection  "—The  First  Grave,      .    65 

VIII.  Dispersion — Furtherance  of  the  Gospel,     .       74 

IX.  The  Jungle— Baptisms,  Bereavement,  ....    86 

X.  Life  Anew — The  Model  Teacher,       ....      97 

XI.    A  New  Test— Second  Marriage, 106 

XII.  The  Helpmate— Toiling,  Sacrificing,     .    .    .     117 

XIII.  Deep  Shadows— "  Perils  OF  Waters,"    .    .    .    .129 

XIV.  Illusive  Hopes— Homeward  Bound,     ....     145 
XV.    Death's  Arrest— The  Burial, 157 

XVI.  A  Contrast — Missionary,  Emperor,     ....     164 

Appendix, 173 


3llt  I  tv0%naxx'i»  love,  xxt  cotta^^,  caxnp,  axxXi  cell, 
^rtst  iiaxxxxUe»9  &txxUeh  at  txfctni  atxii  paitx  anh  chctitx» 
^xxi  {t0  tratt«iceni>^ttt  tr^ecort*  tjet  remain* 

$0v  ntiftftian  atxnal»  of  the  (S:vo&9  io  telU 

W.  C.  Richards,  Ph.  D.— "  Tke  Apostle  of  Burmahr 


SARAH  B.  JUDSON. 

I. 
(^ivihO 0h—ALSTEAD  AND  SALEM. 

And  green  forever  be  the  groves, 

And  bright  the  flowery  sod, 
Where  first  the  child's  glad  spirit  loves 

Its  country  and  its  God. 

Mrs.  Hemans. 

ALSTEAD,  a  post-village  in  Cheshire  County,  N. 
-  H.,  was  the  early  home  of  Ralph  and  Abiah 
Hall,  of  humble  name  and  circumstances.  They 
dwelt  here  for  only  a  short  period,  yet,  meanwhile, 
November  3,  1803,  their  first  child  was  born.  It  was 
a  daughter,  and  they  gave  her  the  good  Bible  name 
Sarah  ;  and  to  the  end  of  her  days  she  bore  it  in  its 
primitive  simplicity,  with  none  of  the  inflections  now 
given  unto  it. 

While  Sarah  was  a  mere  child,  they  removed  to 
Danvers,  Mass.,  about  eighteen  miles  north  from  Bos- 
ton ;  now  a  large  town,  possessing  a  library,  founded 
by  George  Peabody,  with  the  sum  of  $200,000.  To 
this  home  she  must  have  referred  when,  drawing  a 
comparison,  she  speaks  of  having  left  "beautiful 
groves,  orchards  filled  with  fruit  trees,  and  gently 
gliding  streams,"  and  had  found  "nothing  but  houses 
and  steeples." 

7 


8  SARAH    B,    JUDSON. 

The  next  removal  was  to  Salem,  a  town  second 
only  to  Plymouth  in  time  of  settlement,  long  a  seat  of 
government  officials,  and  the  home  of  some  literary 
celebrities.  The  first  vessel  ever  sent  from  this  coun- 
try to  the  Isle  of  France,  Calcutta  and  China,  was  dis- 
patched from  this  port.  The  first  church  organization 
in  this  country  was  formed  here ;  and  hence  departed 
the  Caravan,  the  first  ship  bearing  missionaries  to  the 
East.  Here,  amid  such  opportunities  as  the  first 
period  of  the  republic  supplied,  Sarah  Hall  received 
her  rearing  and  education.  Her  development  took 
place  within  the  atmosphere  of  schools,  but  only  in 
small  part  by  the  use  of  their  facilities.  She  was  one 
of  a  class  of  j^outh,  still  continuing,  who  receive  some 
important  promptings  by  means  of  occasional  advan- 
tages, when  it  seems  impossible  to  make  large  acquisi- 
tions. She  had  a  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  evinced  it 
very  early,  yet  equally  soon  did  she  become  convinced 
that,  owing  to  her  parents'  circumstances,  the  sweet 
waters  would  be  reached  only  with  much  difficulty. 
Of  this  providential  situation  she  made  no  complaint^ 
but  undertook  to  gain  the  most  possible  in  the  exist- 
ing circumstances. 

The  want  of  a  picture  of  her  is  and  ever  will  be 
regretted.  To  show  how  the  girl  "looked,"  and  what 
was  the  personal  appearance  of  the  woman  and  mis- 
sionary,  must  remain  an  impossibility  to  the  narrator; 
and  yet  there  are  traces  here  and  there  of  the  portrait 
borne  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  enjoyed  the  privilege 
of  knowing  her.  One  speaks  of  "faultless  features, 
moulded  on  the  Grecian  model;  of  beautifully  trans- 
parent  skin;    warm,  meek   blue   eyes   and   soft   hair, 


A   MEMORIAL.  9 

brown  in  the  shadow  and  gold  in  the  sun."  Another 
says:  "She  was  of  about  middle  stature,  agreeable 
in  her  personal  appearance,  and  winning  in  her  man- 
ners." 

And  as  mental  and  spiritual  traits  form  a  very  im- 
portant part  of  one's  full  portrait,  a  further  expression 
from  the  writer  last  quoted  will  aid  the  reader  in  gain- 
ing an  impression:  "The  first  impression  of  an  ob- 
server respecting  her,  in  her  youth,  at  the  time  of  her 
departure  from  the  country,  would  be  of  a  gentle,  con- 
fiding, persuasive  being,  who  would  sweeten  the  cup 
of  life  to  those  who  drank  it  with  her.  But  further 
acquaintance  would  develop  strength  as  well  as  loveli- 
ness of  character.  It  would  be  seen  that  she  could  do 
and  endure,  as  well  as  love  and  please.  Sweetness  and 
strength,  gentleness  and  firmness  w^ere  in  her  character 
most  happil}^  blended.  Her  mind  was  both  poetical 
and  practical ;  she  had  refined  taste,  and  a  love  for  the 
beautiful,  as  well  as  the  excellent."* 

Her  parents  were  married  in  Methuen,  Mass.,  the 
father  at  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  and  the  mother  at 
sixteen,  and  thither,  with  little  Sarah  and  a  tiny  broth- 
er in  their  arms,  they  made  an  early  return  for  a  visit 
— a  journey  on  horseback  of  sixty  to  seventy  miles. 
Danvers  and  Salem  were  not  very  far  to  the  south-east 
of  Methuen,  and  following  the  oft-noticed  disposition 
of  relatives  to  settle  within  easy  reach  of  each  other, 
they  soon  made  the  former  their  place  of  residence, 
and  ultimately  the  latter. 

••=  "  Fanny  Forester  "  (Mrs.  E.  C.  Judson\  whose  "  Memoir  of  Sarah  B. 
Judson  "  is  now  out  of  print.  Quotations  from  it,  somewhat  numerous 
toward  the  close  of  this  work,  wiU  be  indicated  simply  by  the  marks. 


lO  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

At  the  time  of  their  settling  in  Salem,  Sarah  was 
about  nine  years  of  age.  Already  a  fineness  of  nature 
and  an  impressiveness  of  character  began  to  appear 
through  her  deportment. 

A  surviving  sister  of  hers,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Edwards, 
Mendota,  Ills.,  in  a  recent  communication  to  the  au- 
thor,  renders  the  following  most  interesting  tribute : 

"  From  my  earliest  recollection,  the  thoughts  of  my 
childhood,  yes,  and  till  the  last  parting  kiss  was  ex- 
changed, were  always  associated  with  her.  Her  anx- 
iety for  the  present  and  future  welfare  of  her  brothers 
and  sisters  knew  no  limit ;  ever,  as  opportunity  offered, 
did  she  try  to  lead  their  thoughts  heavenward,  and 
also  the  minds  of  others  with  whom  she  associated. 
She  was  not  obtrusive  at  all,  but  she  seemed  to  know 
just  when  to  speak  and  what  to  say.  She  was  indeed 
a  child-missionary. 

"Listening  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  by 
others  as  well  as  by  her  own  beloved  pastor.  Dr.  Lucius 
Bolles,  was  one  of  her  richest  enjoyments.  Dr.  Wor- 
cester, pastor  of  the  Tabernacle  Congregational  Church 
in  Salem,  greatly  interested  her.  She  had  no  personal 
acquaintance  with  him,  yet  I  remember  how  sad  she 
was  on  the  morning  the  bell  tolled  his  death ;  how  she 
mourned  in  her  quiet  way,  as  for  a  dear  friend.  I  will 
repeat  from  memory  a  part  of  some  lines  she  wrote  on 
his  death : 

"  *  Oh,  my  sad  soul !  That  solemn  sound 
Proclaims  thy  hopes  are  fled ; 
Each  deep'ning  swell  declares  anew, 
He  whom  thou  lov'st  is  dead 


A   MEMORIAL.  II 

" '  And  can  it  be,  that  voice  so  mild 
Will  ever  mute  remain  ! 
That  tongue  which  Wisdom  called  her  own — 
Will  it  ne'er  speak  again  ! '  " 

From  her  ninth  year  she  showed  great  delicacy  of 
appreciation  and  maturity  of  judgment,  for  one  so 
young,  and  thus  became  a  subject  of  deepest  interest 
to  her  friends.  On  the  occasion  of  a  visit  in  Maiden, 
when  ten  or  eleven  years  old,  an  aunt,  who  derived, 
great  delight  in  calling  her  out  and  listening  to  her 
mature  sayings,  sought  her  opinion  of  dancing,  which 
she  herself  approved,  and  '*  was  perfectly  astonished  at 
the  arguments  she  used  against  it." 

Her  early  development  in  that  which  is  beautiful 
and  good  seems  to  have  been  quite  remarkable.  It 
greatly  impressed  her  sister,  whose  words  have  been 
quoted,  enabling  her  to  remember,  for  more  than  three 
score  years,  what  she  said  and  did.  And  when  asked 
how  she  appeared,  she  could  only  voice  her  impression 
by  saying :  "  She  was  just  lovely,  and  I  know  was  at- 
tractive. One  lady  said  to  Dr.  Bolles,  *  O  dear !  why 
couldn't  they  have  taken  some  one  to  be  a  missionary 
that  everybody  didn't  love  ! '  He  answered,  *  We  don't 
want  such ;  but  one  that  everybody  does  love.'  " 

Mrs.  Edwards  further  states  :  "  I  think  now  of  two 
sweet  verses  that  she  wrote  in  the  center  of  a  wreath 
of  evergreen,  on  delicate  rice  paper,  and  fitted  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Boardman's  watch : 

"  *  A  wreath  of  gay  flow'rets  as  varied  I  wove 
As  in  Poestoni's  garden  were  seen, 
But  I  threw  them  aside  and  have  twined  for  my  love 
This  garland  of  pure  evergreen. 


12  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

"  *  May  the  tender  attachment  that  glows  in  thy  heart 
Ever  be  as  it  ever  has  been  ; 
And  thy  Sarah's  afFedlion  be  void  of  all  art, 
As  this  garland  of  pure  evergreen.' 

This  was  beautifully  written,  and  so  plain  that  it  did 
not  look  crowded." 

As  the  above  does  not  carry  the  reader  beyond  her 
early  years,  it  will  seem  to  have  been  fitly  mentioned 
here.  And  it  will  gratify  many,  even  if  it  seem  abrupt, 
to  add  that  the  watch,  bearing  the  touching  sentiment, 
was  one  of  the  treasures  vStolen  by  the  marauders  of 
Martaban,  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  missionaries 
at  Maulmain.*  In  view  of  that  wholesale  robbery, 
this  refined  and  grateful  soul  could  say  that  she  "  took 
joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods  "  when  she  thought 
of  the  treasure  spared — the  husband,  over  whom,  evi- 
dently, the  fatal  spear  had  been  held. 

*The  spelling  in  vogue  during  the  period  of  the  subject's  career  is 
maintained  throughout  this  work. 


A   MEMORIAL.  13 

II. 

^v0xnpiin00—ANyiv//£/^B,  for  souls. 

How  can  I  make  the  most  of  human  life  ? — Mrs.  Sarah  B. 

JUDSON. 

"  Oh,  be  thou  zealous  in  thy  youth ; 
Fill  every  day  with  noble  toils. 
Fight  for  the  victories  of  Truth, 

And  deck  thee  with  her  deathless  spoils." 

SARAH  HALL  early  became  a  subject  of  saving 
Power ;  but  not  in  a  marvellous  manner,  nor  with- 
out mature  thinking.  Her  desire  for  improvement 
developed  very  early,  and,  quite  naturally,  grew  into 
an  anxiety  for  her  soul's  welfare.  Her  domestic  duties 
kept  her  at  home,  except  as  they  admitted  of  brief 
terms  at  school.  She  was  "mother's  girl,"  and  from 
the  satisfaction  derived  by  performing  fiHal  duty,  there 
readily  grew  the  home  feeling,  with  a  sedate,  studious 
disposition.  There  was  no  appearance  of  melancholy 
in  her  mental  life,  nor  of  fretfulness  within  her  limits, 
nor  of  disappointment  and  sullen  submission.  There 
was  no  inclination  to  the  life  of  the  recluse.  On  the 
contrary,  she  acquiesced  in  her  circumstances,  and 
strove  to  make  the  most  of  the  small  opportunities 
she  found. 

Mrs.  Edwards  remarks  :  "  She  was  all  that  an  affec- 
tionate, dutiful  daughter  could  be,  doing  all  in  her 
power  to  assist  our  parents  in  the  care  and  instruction 


14  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

of  her  younger  brothers  and  sisters.  We  all  looked  up 
to  her,  and  with  safet}^  could  follow  her  example  and 
teachings.  She  never  seemed  vain  or  frivolous ;  was 
ever  cheerful,  and  so  happy  that  she  could  make  what- 
ever she  said  or  did  attractive,  whether  recreation  or 
study." 

The  spells  intervening  housework  were  devoted  to 
study ;  and  acquiring  knowledge  was  to  her  a  pleasure, 
if  not  a  pastime.  And  while  she  kept  the  windows  of 
her  soul  open  to  all  light,  the  rays  of  Bible  truth  seem 
to  have  been  the  most  congenial.  She  proposed  to  a 
friend  the  mutual  consideration  of  passages  of  Script- 
ure, as  a  basis  of  correspondence,  and  in  this  she  found 
great  delight. 

Her  conviction  of  sin  came  on  graduall}^  and  in  the 
way  usual  to  children.  First,  little  spasmodic  alarms, 
coming  and  going  with  their  immediate  cause ;  then  a 
settled  determination  "to  forsake  the  objects  of  earth, 
and  live  for  Heaven."  It  was  in  her  seventeenth  year 
that  she  publicly  professed  religion,  and  she  did  so 
under  a  full  sense  of  the  importance  of  the  step  she 
was  taking. 

The  next  we  learn  of  her  she  is  indulging  tears 
of  pity  for  sinners ;  a  very  trustworthy  evidence  of 
her  regeneration.  Not  doubting  her  own  acceptance, 
though  repining  over  her  indifference  and  coldness, 
she  sighs  over  the  stupidity  of  sinners  bent  upon 
destruction.  And  not  satisfied  with  cherishing  even  a 
tearful  solicitude  for  them,  she  gives  a  practical  turn 
to  her  feelings  by  admonishing  them  of  their  guilt 
and  danger. 

Her  piety  did  not  assume  the  romantic  cast,  cans- 


A   MEMORIAL.  15 

ing  her  to  pine  for  beautiful  scenes  and  wonderful  cir- 
cumstances in  which  to  do  good;  nor  was  it  of  an 
avScetic  character,  driving  her  to  her  chamber  to  vSpend 
time  in  moping.  She  at  once  makes  of  herself  a  youth- 
ful  missionary  to  those  within  her  reach,  beginning 
where  converts  usually  have  the  greatest  hesitancy, 
and  feel  most  powerless — within  her  own  home.  Nor 
did  she  chide  or  censure,  but  drew  with  the  cords  of 
love,  admonishing  of  danger  until  those  addressed  were 
affedled  to  tears.  And  the  interest  that  leads  to  true 
labor  for  souls  does  not  discriminate  with  nicety  in 
favor  of  persons  in  America,  and  in  cultivated  com- 
munities; nor  is  it  partial  to  "little  heathen,"  real  or 
imaginary,  on  beautiful  isles  or  in  golden  cities.  It  is, 
rather,  that  which  begins  at  once  and  with  people  at 
hand,  and  is  gradually  led  outward  to  those  in  deepest 
darkness.  Such  was  the  piety  of  Sarah  Hall.  She 
loved  lost  souls,  and  to  her  love  there  was  added  a 
peculiar  pity  for  the  perishing  millions  of  the  East. 

She  left  a  sheet  of  paper,  folded  in  a  little  book, 
containing  the  last  writing  in  journalistic  form  that  is 
known  to  have  come  from  her  pen,  and  by  it  we  learn 
the  tenor  of  her  thinking.  It  is  dated  about  one  month 
after  her  baptism,  and  reads  : 

"  While  I  have  this  daj'  had  the  privilege  of  worshiping 
the  true  God  in  solemnit}-,  I  have  been  pained  by  thoughts 
of  those  who  have  never  heard  the  sound  of  the  Gospel. 
When  will  the  time  come  that  the  poor  heathen,  now  bow- 
ing to  idols,  shall  own  the  living  and  true  God?  Dear 
Savior,  haste  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  thy  dying  love 
to  earth's  remotest  bounds.  ^  ^^  *  *  I  have  just  com- 
pleted the  perusal  of  the  life  of  Samuel  J.  Mills  ;  and  never 
shall  I  forget  the  emotions  of  my  heart,  while  following 


1 6  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

thus  the  footsteps  of  this  devoted  missionary.  I  have 
ahnost  caught  his  spirit,  and  been  ready  to  exclaim  :  '  Oh, 
that  I,  too,  could  suffer  privations,  hardships  and  dis- 
couragements, and  even  find  a  watery  grave  (as  did  he) 
for  the  sake  of  bearing  the  news  of  salvation  to  the  poor 
heathen.'  Then  I  have  checked  myself  in  the  wild,  un- 
reasonable wish.  Sinners  perishing  all  around  me,  and  I, 
an  ignorant,  weak,  faithless  creature,  almost  panting  to 
tell  the  far  heathen  of  Christ !  Surely  this  is  wTong.  I 
will  no  longer  indulge  the  vain,  foolish  wish,  but  endeavor 
to  be  useful  in  the  position  Providence  has  placed  me.  I 
can  pray  for  deluded  idolaters,  and  for  those  who  labor 
among  them ;  and  this  is  a  privilege  indeed." 

Could  anything  more  accuratel}^  reveal  the  girlish 
way  of  thinking  that  characterizes  young  Christians ! 
Her  new-found  love  would  carry  her  to  prison  and  to 
death  for  Christ's  sake,  even  as  a  preference ;  then  her 
sensitiveness  to  the  spiritual  pride  thus  vaulting  in  her 
heart  compels  a  prompt  revolt  from  the  attitude  of  pre- 
sumption she  has  taken,  and  she  quiets  down  in  the 
decision  to  endeavor  to  be  useful  in  the  position  where 
Providence  should  place  her.  The  presence  of  humil- 
ity and  the  self-sacrificing  spirit,  evinced  the  normal 
condition  of  her  spiritual  life.  She  longed  to  be  the 
means  of  saving  some,  and  to  labor  in  the  place  of 
God's  own  choosing.  Her  fitness  to  carry  the  news  of 
salvation  abroad  became  evident  in  her  fidelity  to  those 
at  home. 

With  this  interest  in  the  welfare  of  souls  there 
developed  a  talent  for  writing  rehgious  poetry.  Her 
readings  and  meditations  bloomed  in  verse,  and  showed 
the  nature  of  her  sympathies,  as  well  as  the  direction 
of  her  fancy.     She  made  no  startling  revealments  of 


A   MEMORIAL.  1 7 

power,  no  lofty  flights,  had  no  bold  conceptions,  but, 
rather,  turned  to  poetical  uses  the  substance  of  much 
that  she  read,  as  also  some  of  her  heart's  communings. 
Her  verses  were  religious,  and  somewhat  hymnal  in 
style.  The  power  to  versify  was  quite  marked,  and, 
doubtless,  its  exercise  was  to  her  a  source  of  much 
spiritual  joy.  When  washing  dishes  she  would  com- 
pose, mentally,  and  in  doing  the  Monday's  washing  she 
kept  her  pencil  and  paper  at  hand,  and  after  thinking 
out  a  stanza,  would  write  it  down.  A  poem  thus 
made  was  quite  presentable,  and  in  nearly  every  case 
was  of  a  character  to  affecT:  the  heart. 

The  subjects  of  her  poems  were  matters  upon 
which  she  delighted  to  reflect,  or  which  were  thrust 
upon  her  attention  by  occurrences  in  the  rehgious 
world.  Gethsemane  and  Calvary,  the  love  of  Christ  to 
the  world,  and  the  love  due  to  sinful  beings  from 
those  whom  Christ  had  redeemed,  were  topics  that 
moved  her  soul  deeply.  It  was  very  easy  for  her  to 
take  up  a  Christian  idea,  and  a  strain  of  melody  was  an 
almost  spontaneous  result.  The  Macedonian  cry 
awakened  her  lyre,  and  the  death  of  missionaries 
touched  a  responsive  chord  in  her  heart,  as  though 
she  were  in  some  degree  responsible  for  filling  the 
vacanc}',  or  for  aiding  in  creating  an  influence  that 
would  so  result.  Her  hymn  on  the  Macedonian  cry 
resembles  in  sentiment  and  melody  those  of  Bishop 
Heber  and  S.  F.  Smith.     It  begins  : 

"  Ye,  on  whom  the  glorious  Gospel 
Shines  with  beams  serenel}'  bright. 
Pity  the  deluded  nations, 
Wrapped  in  shades  of  dismal  night. 


1 8  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

Ye,  whose  bosoms  glow  with  rapture 
At  the  precious  hopes  they  bear ; 

Ye,  who  know  a  Savior's  mercy, 
Listen  to  our  ear-nest  prayer!" 

Her  piety  sought  expression  in  real  deeds,  from  the 
very  first.  She  answered  to  the  command,  "  My  little 
children,  love  not  in  word  nor  in  tongue,  but  in  deed 
and  in  truth,"  by  directing  her  youthful  energies  to 
such  kinds  of  service  as  were  at  hand,  being  neither 
partial  nor  fastidious.  Wliile  yet  a  very  young  mem- 
ber of  the  church  she  established  a  female  prayer  meet- 
ing in  a  lady's  chamber,  across  the  way  from  her 
home.  Scarcely  had  she  been  a  year  in  the  Christian 
life,  ere  she  began  the  work  of  tracft  distribution;  a 
w^ork  that  came  to  her  hand  through  a  Tract  Society, 
and  in  which  she  endeavored  to  enlist  her  friends. 
Her  efforts  were  very  earnest,  and  they  were  mani' 
festly  attended  by  faithful  spiritual  labor,  because,  in 
connection  with  them,  some  obtained  a  hope  in  the 
Savior  and  publicly  professed  Him.  "Although  the 
attendants  on  her  meetings  were  all  her  seniors,  and 
some  of  them  married  ladies,  yet  she  was  the  actual 
and  acknowledged  leader." 

A  3^oung  girl  aspiring  to  be  useful,  and  filled  with 
the  moral  courage  indicated,  is  not  likely  to  stop  with 
moderate  results,  nor  to  feel  that  the  exhaustion  of 
her  power  for  good  upon  her  neighbors  is  an  evidence 
of  limitation  of  ability.  Far  from  it.  Achieving  good 
in  work  at  hand,  in  small  things  it  may  be,  is  a  sure 
sign  of  fitness  to  be  trusted  with  greater  work  abroad ; 
and  it  imparts  a  confidence  to  the  worker,  and  a  holy 
unrest  that  admits  of  nothing  short  of  great  enterprises 


A   MEMORIAL.  19 

or  endeav^ors.  A  little  success  in  work  for  God  excites 
a  relish  for  the  work  itself,  and  leads  on  to  higher 
aspiration  and  nobler  doing.  In  whatever  situation  she 
was,  she  was  still  trying  to  answer  that  momentous 
question,  "  How  shall  I  make  the  most  of  human  life?" 

Young  Sarah,  though  modestly  viewing  the  fruits 
of  her  fidelity  as  a  new  disciple,  found  her  mind  stretch- 
ing away  to  fields  remote  from  home.  It  seemed  to 
her  that  redemption  was  needed  everywhere,  and  was 
possible  to  all  nations,  and  that  effort  to  multiply  the 
triumphs  of  the  Cross  was  the  most  delightful  of 
human  employments;  nor  did  she  permit  necessities 
at  home  to  blind  her  to  the  needs  of  people  abroad. 
Her  sympathies  inclined  to  the  side  of  those  having 
the  fewest  advantages.  She  looked  eastward  and  west- 
ward ;  her  eye  follow^ed  through  the  whole  course  of 
the  sun,  and  all  the  way  she  saw  poor,  deluded  creat- 
ures needing  a  light  they  had  not  knowm. 

It  was  but  natural  that  she  should  early  feel  the 
incentive  of  love  "  to  tell*  the  far  heathen  of  Christ," 
seeing  that  the  very  tone  and  tenor  of  the  Great  Com- 
mission suggest  the  remotest  parts  of  the  earth  as 
Charity's  proper  field.  Nor  was  it  less  natural  that  a 
young  woman  of  meek  and  quiet  life  should  shrink 
at  the  first  rising  of  desire  to  go  so  far  to  find  work, 
and  into  the  midst  of  so  great  perils,  as  from  "a  vain, 
foolish  wish." 

She  became  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  missions 
to  the  American  Indians,  and  soon  felt  a  longing  to 
enlist  in  them.  Bits  of  correspondence  were  found  by 
her  biographer,  showing  that  she  had  opened  her  heart 
on  this  subject.     And  it  is  stated  as  an  undisputed  fact 


20  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

that  at  one  time  "  she  had  serious  thoughts  of  becom- 
ing a  member  of  the  Indian  Mission  under  Isaac 
McCo}^"  The  latter  had  been  in  progress  about  four 
years  at  the  time  she  was  converted,  and  it  had  become 
an  object  of  much  interest  to  the  churches,  as  had  that 
to  the  Oneidas  in  New  York,  and  that  to  the  Cherokees 
in  the  South. 

Those  at  all  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  Baptist 
cause  in  the  north-west  territory  will  take  a  moment 
here  for  refledlion.  What  if  Sarah  Hall  had  spent  her 
days  in  missionary  work  with  the  intrepid  McCoy, 
along  the  Wabash !  What  if  her  character  had  de- 
veloped in  the  West  instead  of  in  the  East ! — her  con- 
secrated spirit  been  brought  into  contact  with  the  anti- 
mission  spirit  that  asserted  itself  in  McCoy's  time,  and 
the  aroma  of  her  piety,  like  the  fragrance  of  the  forests, 
been  manifest  in  every  place  !  Her  gentleness  would 
have  made  her  great,  and  by  it  she  would  have  sub- 
dued the  savage  mind ;  and,  taken  with  other  virtues, 
it  might  have  given  a  truer  Cast  to  the  Christian  char- 
a(5ler  of  the  generations  following. 


A   MEMORIAL.  21 

III. 

(Bvtni^— STRANGER  THAN  FICTION. 

By  degrees 
The  human  blossom  blows;  and  every  day, 
Soft  as  it  rolls  along,  shows  some  new  charm :  ' 
The  father's  lustre  and  the  mother's  bloom. 

Thomson— 'T^<?  Seasons:' 

As  in  the  dew-drop  stars  may  shine, 
So  love  itself,  august,  divine, 
Kindles  our  finite  lives  with  fire 
That  cannot  smoulder  nor  expire. 

Rose  Terry  Cooke. 

IV  /TISS  HALL'S  early  childhood  had  ended  with 
^^  the  close  of  her  living  in  the  towns  of  Al- 
stead  and  Dan  vers.  The  second  stage,  that  of  girl- 
hood, which  in  the  best  natures  continues  to  one's 
majority,  was  now  passing  in  the  old  federal  town  of 
Salem.  And  while  retaining  the  elements  of  the  child- 
nature,  she  matured  rapidly  in  Christian  graces,  pre- 
senting a  noticeable,  beautiful  character.  Her  first 
pastor  was  the  eminent  Dr.  Lucius  Bolles,  first  Secre- 
tary of  the  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  which  was 
then  supporting  a  few  missionaries.  He  was  such  a 
Christian,  so  fully  in  sympathy  with  missions,  that  he 
could  but  encourage  the  spirit  that  was  already  devel- 
oping so  rapidly  in  the  heart  of  this  young  woman. 
She  was  a  means  to  his  own  development — a  flower  to 


22  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

regale  the  spiritual  sense  with  its  fragrance,  a  witness 
to  confirm  his  preaching,  and  an  example  of  the  power 
of  the  Gospel  to  beget  its  own  benevolent  spirit  in  the 
heart  of  the  true  believer.  He  could  not  only  pray 
for  sacrifices  for  the  missionary  altar,  but  could  also 
have  the  joy  of  presenting  an  offering  from  his  own 
flock. 

It  was  said  of  her  by  those  who  knew  her  well, 
that  she  was  remarkable,  "  from  the  period  of  first  pro- 
fessing herself  a  disciple  of  Christ,  for  the  symmetry 
and  early  maturity  of  her  piety.  This  made  her  an 
object  of  attention  and  attraction  among  all  the  more 
spiritual-minded  members  of  that  lovely  church" — the 
church  in  Salem. 

To  show  the  purity  of  her  motives  we  need  only 
copy  her  words  to  her  parents,  at  the  time  her  conse- 
cration was  made  :  "  lyCt  us,  my  dear  parents,  go  to 
Calvary ;  let  us  behold,  for  a  few  moments,  the  meek, 
the  holy  Lamb  of  God,  bleeding  for  our  transgressions. 
Then  let  us  inquire,  'Shall  I  withhold  from  this  Savior 
any  object,  however  dear  to  my  heart  ?  Shall  I  be  un- 
willing to  suffer  a  few  short  years  of  toil  and  privation 
for  His  sake  ?'  Let  us  call  to  remembrance  those  days 
of  darkness  through  which  we  passed  before  Jesus 
lifted  upon  us  the  light  of  His  countenance.  We  have, 
I  trust,  each  of  us  seen  our  lost  and  ruined  condition 
by  nature ;  have  seen  ourselves  exposed  to  the  righteous 
indignation  of  our  Creator ;  have  felt  ourselves  sinking 
into  endless  despair  and  ruin,  and  all  this  is  merited. 
But  oh,  amazing  love !  at  that  desperate  moment  the 
Savior  smiled  upon  us.  He  opened  His  arms  of  com- 
passion, all  polluted  as  we   were   with  iniquity;    He 


A   MEMORIAI,.  23 

received  us,  forgave  our  sins,  and  bade  us  hope  for  joy 
unutterable  beyond  the  grave.  Did  we  not  then  sur- 
render all  into  His  hands  ?  Was  not  this  the  language 
of  our  hearts  : 

"  '  Had  I  a  thousand  Hves  to  give 

A  thousand  lives  should  all  be  Thine'? 

And  has  not  the  precious  Redeemer  as  strong  claims 
upon  us  now  as  He  had  then?" 

Surely  this  was  receiving  the  Gospel  in  the  old,  the 
natural  way.  Its  message  of  mercy  was  first  to  be  wel- 
comed with  a  glad  heart,  and  then  to  be  sent  or  carried 
on ;  and  one  so  sincere  as  Sarah  Hall  could  not  choose 
the  easier  course  and  place  upon  others  the  weightier 
duty,  but  must  present  herself  to  the  King  with  the 
proposal,  "  Here  am  I ;  send  me." 

Her  consecration  was  not  that  of  one  at  liberty, 
with  no  antecedent  claims  resting  on  her ;  for  so  great 
was  the  dependence  felt  by  her  parents,  and  such  the 
needs  of  children  which  an  elder  sister  was  best  calcu- 
lated to  meet,  that  to  take  herself  away  would  cause  a 
serious  disruption  of  ties.  We  get  a  view  of  the  su- 
preme claims  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  devotement  of  this 
young  woman,  not  rashly  but  rationally,  to  other  fami- 
lies, people  and  countries  than  her  own,  that  He  might 
be  glorified.  We  even  see  an  appreciation  of  home  in 
the  decision  to  leave  it,  in  the  benevolent  attempt  to 
impart  the  true  home  idea  to  those  w^ho  are  deeply 
degraded  for  want  of  it. 

The  immediate  occasion  for  offering  herself  to  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions  was  the  lamented  death  of 
an  ardent  young  missionary  at  his  post  Rev.  James 


24  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

Colman,  of  Chittagong.  At  that  time  the  laborers  were 
exceedingly  few,  and  every  one  was  cherished  as  a 
treasure  whose  loss  might  not  be  made  up.  The  fall 
of  one  was  not  only  a  shock  to  be  borne,  but  also  a 
"  providence"  to  be  prayerfully  considered;"  and,  more 
than  in  this  age  of  missions,  the  inquiry  as  to  a  per- 
sonal relation  to  the  crippled  cause  arose  in  the  hearts 
of  the  consecrated. 

Edward  W.  Wheelock,  who  went  with  Mr.  Colman, 
died  still  earlier,  and  the  two-fold  bereavement  of  the 
mission  touched  a  sympathetic  chord  in  American 
churches.  Such  a  heart  as  was  that  of  Sarah  Hall  was 
peculiarly  susceptible  to  the  refined  grief  experienced 
in  this  way.  Heart  and  lyre  were  alike  awakened  by 
the  tidings  borne  from  the  East,  and  she  at  once  pro- 
duced an  elegy  on  the  event  that  attracted  much  atten- 
tion. The  poetic  element  appears  mainly  in  the  accu- 
rate measure  and  the  sentiment  of  gratitude  and  grief 
so  fervently  expressed,  savored  throughout  by  the  au- 
thor's charming  piety. 

Mrs.  Edwards,  in  speaking  of  her  impressions  at 
that  time,  remarks : 

The  tidings  of  the  death  of  Colman  and  Wheelock 
affected  her  most  deeply,  and  she  no  doubt  pra3^ed  ear- 
nestly that  their  places  might  be  filled.  Not  long  after,  she 
came  from  meeting  so  happ}^  and  elated  one  would  have 
thought  she  had  just  come  into  the  possession  of  some- 
thing exceedingly  valuable  (I  can  almost  see  her  now), 
and  said:  "  I  am  vso  glad!  Another  missionary  has  of- 
fered himself  to  the  Board,  and  been  accepted,"  little 
dreaming  that  when  he  bade  adieu  to  home  and  friends,  she 
too  would  be  by  his  side,  and  gaze  for  the  last  time  on  all 


A    MEMORIAIv.  25 

that  had  been  dear  to  her  from  childhood.  I  don't  think 
that  she  knew  his  name,  or  whether  he  had  a  family ;  only 
that  he  had  given  himself  to  God  and  His  cause  in  Bur- 
mah.  Of  course,  after  a  while,  more  was  said  about  it ; 
for  in  thOvSe  days,  as  compared  with  now,  few  went  out. 
After  some  months,  our  pastor.  Dr.  Bolles,  said  to  her  in 
his  quiet  way  :  "  Sarah,  I  want  you  to  think  .seriously  on 
a  mission  to  Burmah."  Not  many  words  ;  but  how  full  of 
meaning  !  Oh,  the  tender  chords  they  touched  !  Some  of 
them,  we  felt  from  the  first,  must  be  riven.  I  must  not 
enter  into  particulars,  only  to  say  that  her  parents  could 
not  give  their  consent  for  a  long  time ;  but  they  dared  not 
say  no,  for  they  felt  it  in  their  hearts  that  God  had  fitted 
her  for  this  very  work.  This  wanting  their  cheerful  acqui- 
escence weighed  heavily  on  her  heart.  But  God,  in  His 
own  time  and  way,  enabled  them  to  make  the  offering. 

Meantime  the  heavy  tidings  from  India  were  being 
pondered  by  others.  The  heart  of  a  young  tutor  in 
Waterville  College,  Maine,  was  deeply  stirred  by  them. 
While  the  prayer,  "Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to 
do?"  was  still  passing  his  lips,  the  death  knell  from 
over  the  sea  seemed  to  bring  the  answer.  And  as  he 
mused,  the  fire  burned,  fanned  by  the  elegy  referred  to, 
which  had  casually  met  his  e3'e.  Looking  toward  the 
East  he  saw  a  man  of  Macedonia,  crying,  "  Come  over 
and  help  us."  Looking  to  a  neighboring  state  he  saw 
a  lovely  woman  lifting  her  voice  in  song  to  arouse  the 
soldiers  of  the  Cross  to  press  to  the  field  and  close  the 
ranks.  It  was  a  vision  through  verse  and  the  means 
of  introduction  to  Sarah  Hall. 

This  3'oung  man,  George  Dana  Boardman,  enter- 
tained sentiments  and  feelings  exactly  similar  to  those 
of  Miss  Hall ;  and  his  Christian  experience  resembled 


26  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

hers.  They  sought  the  same  ends,  actuated  b}^  the 
same  motives,  and  inspired  by  the  same  spirit.  They 
wanted  to  save  souls,  no  matter  where  found,  and 
regardless  of  their  own  temporal  interests.  Yet  the 
circumstance  is  significant  that  their  minds  were  led 
in  the  same  way ;  his  having  been  fixed,  as  was  hers, 
first  on  missions  to  the  Western  Indians,  "rejoicing 
at  the  thought  of  laboring  and  at  last  finding  a  grave 
in  the  forest." 

However,  they  were  not  yet  to  meet  each  other, 
nor  to  enjoy  the  consummation  of  their  first  hopes  as 
to  missionary  work,  nor,  in  fact,  to  enter  upon  any  for- 
eign service  at  once.  Each  must  have  further  educa- 
tion and  experience  at  home.  Mr.  Boardman,  an 
unusually  bright  scholar,  was  surprised,  on  his  gradu- 
ation, by  an  appointment  to  a  tutorship  in  his  Alma 
Mater.  It  caused  him-,  he  says,  "great  grief  and  as- 
tonishment." Yet,  as  a  young  man,  he  scarcely  felt 
that  the  privilege  of  deciding  belonged  to  him ;  the 
call  was  the  voice  of  wisdom.  He  entered  upon  the 
tutorship,  but,  though  preferment  was  just  before  him, 
he  soon  perceived  that  his  soul  could  not  rest  in  that 
vocation.  Taking  up  a  newspaper  he  saw  a  notice 
of  the  death  of  Mr.  Colman,  and  was  profoundly  im- 
pressed by  the  event.  "  Who  will  go  to  fill  his  place?" 
"  I'll  go !"  This  question  and  answer  occurred  to  him 
in  succession,  he  says,  as  suddenly  as  the  twinkling  of 
an  eye.  The  spirit  of  Miss  Hall,  "  a  spirit  as  enthusi- 
astic, as  devoted,  as  noble  as  his  own,"  responded  with 
equal  promptness,  but  only  with  her  harp ;  it  was  all 
she  could  then  do. 

The  convictions  of  these  ardent  souls  had  thus  far 


A   MEMORIAL.  27 

been  individual  and  apart,  and  yet  identical.  But  it  is 
scarcely  possible  that  such  ones  should  not  find  each 
other.  They  met ;  probably  while  Mr.  Boardman  was 
visiting  Boston  and  vicinity,  with  a  view  to  create 
interest  in  the  subject  of  his  appointment.  It  did  not 
require  protracted  visitation  to  determine  the  question 
of  their  affinity;  "their  spirits,  their  hopes,  their 
aspirations  were  one."  "  Their  interest  in  each  other," 
says  his  biographer,  "  kept  pace  with  their  acquaint- 
ance. It  was  not  the  superiority  of  her  personal 
charms,  Mr.  B.  remarked  in  conversation  wath  a  friend, 
though  these  were  by  no  means  small,  but  what  he 
was  pleased  to  term  her  intrinsic  excellence,  heightened 
by  her  modest,  unobtrusive  spirit,  that  most  endeared 
her  to  his  heart." 

It  only  remained  to  complete  their  plans  and  prep- 
arations for  a  missionary  life  in  India,  yet  this  required 
considerable  time.  They  did  not  lack  for  leading  of 
heart,  nor  for  moral  courage ;  nor  did  either  find  it 
necessary  to  importune  the  other  to  become  a  partner 
to  an  agreement  to  go.  They  w^ere  detained  by  counsel 
of  the  Board.  And  meantime  the  ten  3'ears  of  mission- 
ary history  already  passed,  though  without  the  success 
that  gives  enthusiasm,  were  fraught  with  interest  as  a 
subject  of  study,  and  every  element  of  it  was  fully  con- 
sidered. Each  missionary  and  mission  became  famil- 
iar. The  infant  cause,  in  the  great  family  of  denomi- 
national interests,  was  the  one  calling  for  and  receiving 
the  tenderest  solicitude  and  care.  It  was  nourished  by 
the  monthly  concert  of  prayer ;  and  the  Magi  of  the 
churches  devoted  to  it  their  ripest  wisdom. 

Thus   far   the    deaths    of  Wheelock  and  Colman 


28  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

were  the  most  notable  and  painful  events  in  the 
mission.  That  of  the  first  having  occurred  previous  to 
or  at  about  the  time  of  Miss  Hall's  conversion,  was 
not  particularly  regarded  by  her,  while  that  of  the  lat- 
ter, coming  in  the  period  of  her  earliest  contemplation 
of  the  missionary  life,  made  a  very  deep  impression  on 
her  mind  and  heart.  Now  another  event  was  passing 
that  contained  within  it  some  unturned  leaves  of  most 
marvellous  interest — Mrs.  Ann  H.  Judson  was  visiting 
this  country.  When  the  state  of  her  health  admitted 
she  attended  public  meetings,  particularly  those  con- 
ducted for  missionary  purposes.  Such  a  meeting  was 
held  at  Salem,  and  she  was  there  in  the  maturity  of 
her  powers,  and  with  a  ten-years'  experience  in  heathen 
lands  as  an  added  element  of  attractiveness.  Serene 
and  dignified,  and  intensely  interested  in  the  proceed- 
ings, she  inspired  all  with  reverence  ;  the  young  with 
an  awe  akin  to  fear. 

In  the  same  audience  sat  Sarah  Hall.  She  was  four- 
teen years  younger  than,  or  but  little  over  one-half  as 
old  as,  Mrs.  Judson  ;  a  difference  that,  when  added  to 
girlhood,  means  much  to  the  girl  looking  on.  Little 
did  Sarah  dream  that  she  should  ever  overtake  her 
senior  in  development,  and  by  the  same  class  of  serv- 
ice bear  the  honors  and  prerogatives  of  a  remarkable 
career.  She  only  hoped  that  she  might  be  permitted 
in  an  humble  way  "to  teach  the  poor  little  Burmans" ; 
the  Burman  nation  being  at  that  time  the  only  foreign 
mission  field  of  American  Baptists,  the  first-born  of 
their  prayers,  and  most  tenderly  cherished. 

The  circumstances  in  the  lives  of  the  two,  in  the 
subsequent  years,  render  doubly  interesting  the  follow- 


A   MEMORIAL.  29 

ing  paragraphs  from  the  Memoir  by  "  Fanny  Forester," 
while  the  touching  simpHcity  and  naturalness  of  the 
narration  impart  a  life-like  interest  to  the  incident 
itself: 

At  Salem  the  two  met — the  brilliant,  accomplished 
woman,  who  had  studied  the  human  heart  in  its  various 
phases,  on  three  continents,  and  who,  by  her  innate  lofti- 
nesSj  as  well  as  high-toned  devotedness  of  spirit,  could  awe 
both  savage  and  cultivated  minds;  and  young,  timid 
Sarah  Hall,  an  unsunned  dew-drop,  in  her  sweet  weakness. 
How  strangely  interesting  this  meeting!  If  any  there 
had  but  possessed  the  power  to  turn  a  few  leaves  in  the 
book  of  destiny ! 

A  little  anecdote  will  serve  to  illustrate  a  trait  of  char- 
acter in  the  younger,  which  was  prominent  through  life. 
True  greatness,  after  it  has  once  been  developed,  however 
unassuming,  bears  always  with  it  a  consciousness  of 
power,  perfectly  consistent  with  feminine  delicacy  and 
Christian  humility.  Clothed  in  this  power  sat  the 
returned  missionary,  surrounded  by  listening  admirers 
and  learned  divines,  discussing  topics  of  vast  magnitude 
and  weighty  importance.  Miss  Hall,  totally  unaware  of 
the  wealth  of  thought  and  feeling  as  yet  but  partly 
unlocked  in  her  own  bosom,  and  blushing  with  girlish 
timidity  whenever  the  fine,  dark  eye  fell  on  her,  endeav- 
ored to  shrink  from  observation,  while  she  drank  in  every 
word  with  greedy  earnestness.  But  the  nature  of  the 
"  consecration  vow"  she  had  breathed  was  no  secret ;  and 
so  her  personality  was  gone,  or  at  least  that  part  of  it 
which  consisted  in  an  indulgence  of  natural  feeling,  as 
well  as  that  which  would  have  made  her  the  exclusive 
proprietor  of  the  swellings  of  her  own  heart.  I  believe  it 
is  the  opinion  of  wise  men,  that  a  woman  daring  enough 
to  identify  herself  with  one  who  is  to  stand  on  the  out- 


30  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

posts  of  Zion,  vshould  have  no  objection  to  occupying  a 
kind  of  honorable  pillory  before  both  church  and  world, 
till  the  curiosity  of  all  amiable  gazers  is  fully  satisfied ;  so 
one  who  loved  young  Sarah  well,  but  could  not  compre- 
hend the  delicate  attunement  of  her  spirit,  made  a  start- 
ling proposition. 

What  could  be  more  interesting  here,  in  the  presence 
of  one  who  had  seen  Colman  in  India,  than  the  reading 
of  the  elegy ;  and  that  by  the  fair,  young  author,  now  on 
the  eve  of  following  in  his  footsteps  ?  Interesting  to  the 
listeners  of  course !  So,  despite  her  low  pleadings  (for 
genuine  modesty  would  not  allow  her  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  waiting  company  by  stronger  demonstrations 
of  reluctance),  the  poor,  trembling  girl  w^as  dragged  before 
the  awe-inspiring  circle,  and  the  paper  thrust  into  her 
hand.  One  better  versed  in  the  ways  of  the  world  would 
have  released  herself  from  the  embarrassing  position  with 
ease ;  and  two  years  after  so  would  she.  But  now  she  saw 
no  mode  of  escape.  She  commenced  reading  in  a  hurried, 
faltering  tone,  quite  unusual ;  but  she  also  had  enthusiasm 
of  character,  and  a  quiet  dignity,  and  her  soul  had  been  in 
the  subject  when  she  wrote  ;  so  her  voice  gradually  grew 
firm,  and  resumed  its  natural  modulations.  She  finished, 
and  without  raising  her  head  enough  to  perceive  that  the 
eyes  she  most  dreaded  were  filled  with  tears,  stole  away  to 
hide  her  burning  blushes  in  some  retired  corner.  Twenty 
years  afterwards,  when  she  mentioned  the  little  incident, 
as  one  of  exceeding  painfulness  at  the  time  of  its  occur- 
rence, she  said  nothing,  probably  she  knew  nothing,  of  the 
murmur  of  applause  which  went  around  the  circle,  while 
her  own  cheeks  were  tingling  with  mortification. 

This  coincidence  belongs  to  the  time  just  prior  to 
Mrs.  Judson's  return  to  India — the  Spring  of  1823 — 
when  she  was  making  her  final  visits  in  Massachusetts, 


A    MEMORIAIv.  31 

She  was  much  entertained  by  the  then  unusual  spec- 
tacle of  a  modest  maiden  reading  religious  verses  in 
public,  under  pressure  of  an  admiring  community, 
while  she  was  deeply  affected  by  the  fact  that  they 
were  her  own,  were  written  through  sympathy  with  a 
bereaved  mission,  and  without  a  thought  that  they 
would  be  brought  to  notice  in  this  way.  The  occasion 
was  one  to  be  recalled  when,  in  her  work  in  Burmah, 
the  depressing  fear  should  arise  that  the  young  cause 
was  not  remembered  as  it  ought  to  be.  And  to  the 
author  belonged  the  merit  of  a  noble  impulse,  originat- 
ing apart  from  the  *'  friend  "  not  yet  found,  and  without 
expe(5lation  that  it  would  help  her  into  notice  and  to 
his  acquaintance,  and  finally  to  a  missionary  field. 


32  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 


IV. 

^cn— MARRIED  AND  ABROAD, 

But  happy  they !     The  happiest  of  their  kind ! 
Whom  gentler  stars  unite,  and  in  one  fate 
Their  hearts,  their  fortunes,  and  their  beings  blend. 
Thomson — "  The  Seasons^ 

"  There  are  green  isles  in  each  ocean, 
O'er  which  affection  glides ; 
And  a  haven  on  each  shore. 

When  love's  the  star  that  guides." 

IN  the  following  year  Mr.  Boardman  visited  Salem, 
where  was  made  "  nearly  the  first  acquaintance  he 
formed  in  Massachusetts."  Some  benevolent  ladies  of 
that  town  had  combined  to  promote  the  spiritual  good 
of  its  colored  population,  and  had  employed  him  as 
their  missionary,  for  his  vacation.  It  is  not  assuming 
much  to  say  that  this  engagement  gave  the  opportu- 
nity upon  which  he  met  the  congenial  spirit  he  needed 
to  find.  At  that  day  the  rarity  of  such  souls,  tempered 
with  missionary  fire,  makes  their  meeting,  like  the  con- 
junaion  of  stars,  something  to  be  noted  and  recorded. 
The  Hand  that  brings  such  things  to  pass  is  surely  the 
Divine ! 

In  April,  1823,  Mr.  Boardman  offered  himself  to  the 
Board,  and  some  expectation  was  created  that  he 
would  be  accepted  and  sent  out  with  Mrs.  Judson. 
But  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  had  been  accepted  and  were 


A    MEMORIAL.  33 

in  readiness,  it  was  finally  decided  that  the}^  should 
accompany  her — "animating  intelligence"  she  calls  it 
— and  Mr.  Boardman  remained  to  further  qualify  him- 
self for  the  work.  Meantime  the  labor  in  Salem  was 
performed,  a  temporary  agency  for  the  Triennial  Con- 
vention prosecuted  in  the  South  and  West,  and  his 
marriage  engagement  made.  The  first  disappointment 
of  his  glowing  heart  was  compensated  for  in  the  in- 
creased fitness  he  obtained  at  Andover,  and  more 
especially  in  the  added  blessing  of  a  noble  wife.  Sarah 
Hall  would  have  found  her  way  to  heathendom,  east 
or  west,  had  she  never  met  Mr.  Boardrnan ;  yet  it  was 
an  important  providential  circumstance  in  the  mission- 
ary enterprise  that  she  should  go  as  the  wife  of  the 
"Apostle  to  the  Karens." 

It  may  be  thought  tame  and  unnecessary  to  remark 
that  these  young  Christians  were  ardently  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  souls  about  them ;  yet  it  stands  to 
their  credit  that  they  did  not  wait  for  grand  opportu- 
nities of  doing  good,  nor  did  they  apologize  for  neglect- 
ing their  neighbors  or  countrymen  under  the  specious 
plea  that  they  had  a  mission  to  far  distant  Gentiles. 
The  journals  and  letters  of  Mr.  Boardman  are  fraught 
with  sentiments  of  anxiety  for  the  conversion  of 
former  associates  and  fellow  citizens,  and  of  joy  at  the 
occasional  awakenings  that  took  place.  And  the  few 
expressions  from  Miss  Hall  that  remain  from  this  early 
period  contain  gleams  of  a  mind  corresponding  to  his 
in  this  particular. 

Previous  to  their  marriage  they  paid  a  visit  to  his 
home  in  New  Sharon,  Me.,  and  Mr.  Boardman's  young- 
est sister,  still  living,  Mrs.  F.  G.  Bullen,  Eau  Claire, 


34  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

Wis.,  even  now  tells  of  the  impression  made  upon  her 
by  Miss  Hall's  grace  and  loveliness.  She  felt  that  she 
was  looking  upon  a  lady;  such  an  one  as  she  had 
never  before  met.  She  also  recalls,  with  pleasure,  how 
this  charming  visitor  in  the  privacy  of  her  own  room, 
and  sitting  familiarly  on  the  edge  of  her  bed,  tenderly 
urged  her  to  accept  for  herself  this  blessed  Savior 
whom  she  hoped  to  present  to  darkened  ones  on 
heathen  shores. 

On  July  4,  1825,  they  were  married.  Theirs  was  a 
marriage  that  meant  more  than  continuity  of  union; 
it  was  a  unity  in  soul  and  spirit  and  purpose  of  life. 
The  bent  of  their  being  was  thenceforward  identical ; 
and  it  was  strong,  almost  bej^ond  the  ability  of  nature 
to  endure. 

A  generous  supply  of  wedding-cake  for  the  friends 
in  Maine  was  forwarded  in  a  neat  wooden  box,  which 
is  still  preserved,  and  bears  the  easily  read  inscription, 
"  Rev.  Sylvanus  Boardman,  New  Sharon,  Me."  One 
into  whose  possession  it  came  devoted  it  to  the  keep- 
ing of  missionary  leaflets  and  clippings,  not  knowing 
till  years  later  that  not  only  had  it  belonged  to  the 
father  of  the  first  missionary  to  the  Karens,  but  had 
first  come  from  the  hands  of  the  missionary  himself. 

Mr.  Boardman  is  described  as  having  been  some- 
what tall  and  of  light  weight,  and  seemingly  predis- 
posed to  brevity  of  life.  In  his  studies  he  was  very 
ardent,  and  possibly  worked  to  excess.  His  mind  was 
unusually  active,  and  in  utmost  sympathy  with  truth, 
and  in  its  rapid  working  and  far  reaching  it  may  have 
drawn  upon  his  physical  powers  too  heavily.  Symp- 
toms of  latent  consumption  appeared  while  he  was  still 


A    MEMORIAI..  35 

a  Student.  Mrs.  Boardman  was  not  specially  "  marked 
for  the  grave,"  yet,  as  is  common  to  her  sex,  there 
were  certain  limits  of  endeavor  that  she  might  not 
prudently  pass.  They  entered  on  their  married  life 
hopefully,  glad  to  be  accounted  worthy  vessels  to  bear 
the  Savior's  name  to  the  Gentiles. 

Mr.  Boardman  had  been  ordained  previously  to  his 
marriage  (February  i6,  1825);  had  made  his  tour  of 
visitation  in  behalf  of  missions  through  New  York  and 
the  South,  and  now  he  and  his  young  wife  depart  for 
the  East,  embarking  at  Philadelphia  on  the  ship  Asia, 
July  1 6th,  twelve  days  after  marriage. 

They  were  deeply  exercised  with  the  painful 
thought  of  leaving  their  friends,  with  no  clear  expecta- 
tion of  ever  seeing  them  again,  and  they  looked  back- 
ward, v/hile  as  j^et  they  were  only  one  day  from  port, 
and  voiced  their  sadness.  With  the  plaintive  strain 
came  also  the  breathing  of  anxiety  that  the  uncon- 
verted in  the  family  addressed  might  soon  be  num- 
bered with  God's  loved  ones.  "Tell  them  it  is  our 
last,  best  wish  that  they  would  give  themselves  no  rest 
till  they  rest  in  a  good  hope  in  Jesus." 

As  further  showing  what  was  the  companion-heart 
that  made  Mr.  Boardman  a  happy  husband — its  fine 
susceptibility  to  both  joy  and  sorrow,  and  the  delicate 
sympathy  that  always  accompanies  that  qualitj^ — the 
following  poem,  addressed  to  him  a  short  time  previ- 
ous to  their  marriage,  is  introduced  here.  As  a  pen- 
sive, plaintive  production,  admirably  fitting  the  cir- 
cumstances, its  parallel  will  rarely  be  found  in  the 
language : 


36  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

"  When  far  from  those  whose  tender  care 
Protected  me  from  ills  when  young; 
And  far  from  those  who  love  to  hear 
AfiFedlion  from  a  sister's  tongue ; 

"When  on  a  distant  heathen  shore, 

The  deep  blue  ocean  I  shall  see; 
And  know  the  waves  which  hither  bore 

Our  bark,  have  left  me  none  but  thee; 
Perhaps  a  thought  of  childhood's  days 

Will  cause  a  tear  to  dim  my  eye; 
And  fragments  of  forgotten  lays 

May  wake  the  echo  of  a  sigh. 
Oh !  wilt  thou  then  forgive  the  tear  ? 

Forgive  the  throbbings  of  my  heart? 
And  point  to  those  blest  regions,  where 

Friends  meet,  and  never,  never  part? 

"And  when  shall  come  affliction's  storm, 
When  some  deep,  unexpe6led  grief 
Shall  pale  my  cheek,  and  waste  my  form, 
Then  wilt  thou  point  to  sweet  relief? 

"And  wilt  thou,  then,  with  soothing  voice. 

Of  Jesus'  painful  confli6ls  tell? 
And  bid  my  aching  heart  rejoice, 

In  these  kind  accents — 'All  is  wellf 
When  blooming  health  and  strength  shall  fly, 

And  I  the  prey  of  sickness  prove. 
Oh !  wilt  thou  watch  with  wakeful  eye. 

The  dying  pillow  of  thy  love  ? 

"And  when  the  chilling  hand  of  death 
Shall  lead  me  to  my  house  in  heaven, 
And  to  the  damp,  repulsive  earth. 
In  cold  embrace,  this  form  be  given; 

"Oh,  need  I  ask  thee,  wilt  thou  then. 
Upon  each  bright  and  pleasant  eve, 
Seek  out  the  solitary  glen. 
To  muse  beside  my  lonely  grave? 


A    MEMORIAL.  37 

And  while  fond  memory  back  shall  steal 

To  scenes  and  days  forever  fled; 
Oh,  let  the  veil  of  love  conceal 

The  frailties  of  the  sleeping  dead. 

"And  thou  niay'st  weep,  and  thou  niay'st  joy, 
For  'pleasant  is  the  joy  of  grief; 
And  when  thou  look'st  with  tearful  eye 
To  heaven,  thy  God  will  give  relief. 

"Wilt  thou,  then,  kneel  beside  the  sod 

Of  her  who  kneels  with  thee  no  more. 
And  give  thy  heart  anew  to  God, 

Who  griefs  unnumbered  for  thee  bore? 
And  while  on  earth  thy  feet  shall  rove. 

To  scenes  of  bliss  oft  raise  thine  eye, 
Where,  all-absorbed  in  holy  love, 

I  wait  to  hail  thee  to  the  sky." 

On  the  ocean  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  had  no  extra- 
ordinary experience;  scarcely  the  ordinary  trials  of 
seasickness  and  of  annoyance  from  the  wickedness  of 
the  crew.  They  had  the  best  of  accommodations,  and 
were  treated  with  the  kindest  attention  b}^  the  officers, 
and  respect  by  all  on  board.  They  were  permitted  to 
have  divine  worship  on  Lord's-day  morning  and  pray- 
ers in  the  cabin  every  evening.  Their  private  devo- 
tions were  not  undisturbed,  still  they  enjoyed  the 
presence  of  the  Spirit. 

It  was  not  too  early  for  Mr.  Boardman  to  begin  to 
derive  evidences  of  the  value  of  the  wife  God  had 
given  him.  Though  on  the  sea,  and  without  the  usual 
domestic  responsibilities,  3'et  the  time  had  come  for  her 
to  evince  some  of  the  qualities  she  possessed — the  com- 
panionable disposition,  and  the  power  to  bear  a  strain 
of  nerves  and  to  accept  of  the  new  conditions  of  sea- 


38  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

going.  When  about  two  months  out,  he  wrote  to  Dr. 
Bolles  :  "  It  is  always  pleasant  to  enjo}^  more  happiness 
in  an  object  than  we  anticipated.  Such  a  happiness, 
I  am  pleased  to  say  to  you,  I  enjoy  in  my  dear  Sarah." 

On  the  second  day  of  December,  1825,  the  Asia 
came  to  harbor  in  the  port  of  Calcutta,  nearly  five 
months  from  Philadelphia.  Some  knowledge  of  what 
they  should  meet  there,  and  from  whom  to  expect 
greetings,  had  been  a  support  to  their  pleasant  antici- 
palions,  and  had  modified  such  as  were  unpleasant. 

The  English  missionaries  were  ever  ready  to  wel- 
come recruits  for  the  service  from  any  part  and  for  any 
part  of  the  world.  And,  then,  somewhere  in  heathen- 
dom— the  reflecftion  was  alleviating — were  to  be  met 
those  to  whom  they  had  given  farewell  in  America — 
Mrs.  Judson  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade,  who  had  arrived 
in  Rangoon  just  two  years  prior  to  their  own  arrival 
in  Calcutta.  The  Wades  remained  there  temporarily, 
while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  and  Dr.  Price,  after  a  few 
days'  time,  started  for  Ava,  that  city  of  prison  cruelties. 

During  the  greater  part  of  two  years  just  preceding 
their  arrival,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  were  among 
those  deeply  anxious  as  to  the  fate  of  those  pioneers. 
There  was  war,  and  news  from  them  could  not  be 
received.  Already,  as  it  seemed,  the  faith  and  patience 
of  the  saints  in  England  and  America  were  exhausted 
by  the  delay  of  tidings.  Mrs.  Boardman  was  very 
deeply  affecfled  by  the  circumstances,  as  they  contained 
painful  suggestions  as  to  what  eventually  might  be- 
come of  herself.  Missionary  work  in  Burmah  had 
been  suspended;  in  fact,  all  distinctively  American 
missions  in  the  East ;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade,  having 


A   MEMORIAI,.  .  39 

made   their   escape   from   Rangoon   at   the  outbreak, 
were  in  Chitpore,  four  miles  from  Calcutta. 

Very  soon  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  also  took  up  a 
temporary  residence  at  Chitpore,  where  they  enjoyed 
opportunities  for  studying  the  Burman  language,  hav- 
ing the  help  of  a  native  teacher  and  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wade.  Here  they  were  cheerful  and  happy,  except  as 
the  prevailing  uncertainty  concerning  the  missionaries 
at  Ava  was  painful,  and  cast  a  shadow  upon  their  own 
prospects.  Ere  long  they  removed  to  Calcutta  and 
obtained  quarters  wath  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade,  in  Circular 
Road,  near  the  English  Baptist  missionaries  and  their 
chapel.  Here  they  continued  to  live  for  about  one 
year  and  eight  months,  during  which  period  they 
prosecuted  their  study  of  Burmese,  with  assiduity. 
He,  having  an  educative  faculty,  which  soon  became 
knowai,  took  great  interest  in  the  schools  estabHshed 
by  different  societies,  and  by  invitation  visited  them. 
Also,  he  made  himself  familiar  with  the  many  publish- 
ing and  other  enterprises  for  the  promotion  of  religion 
and  science  in  which  this  heathen  city  abounded ;  in- 
terests that  were  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  existence 
of  the  English  East  India  Company  for  two  centuries. 
Mrs.  Boardman,  though  not  an  indifferent  spectator  to 
these  important  concerns,  kept  her  mind  closely  oc- 
cupied with  study  of  the  native  language.  In  a  let- 
ter to  her  pastor,  Dr.  Bolles,  of  Salem,  dated  February 
27,  1826,  she  says  : 

It  is  a  source  of  much  satisfaction  to  us.  that  while  in 
Bengal  we  can  employ  our  time  in  the  studj-  of  the  lan- 
guage. Mr.  Boardman  and  myself  have  just  commenced 
reading  Mr.  Judson's  translation  of  the  New  Testament. 


40  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

The  highest  motives  present  themselves  to  urge  us  on  to 
diligence  and  perseverance  in  study.  We  feel  that  to 
point  the  wretched  Burmans  to  the  Cross  of  Christ  is  to 
be  the  great  object  of  our  lives.  Until  we  have  acquired 
their  language  we  cannot  engage  in  this  important  work. 
How  then  can  we  spend  one  moment  in  idleness !  I  trust 
that,  in  the  acquisition  of  this  difficult  language,  the  hope 
that  I  shall  one  day  be  able  to  tell  idolaters  of  a  Savior 
will  beguile  many  a  tedious  hour. 

I  sometimes  fancy  myself  surrounded  by  a  little  group 
of  Burman  girls,  listening  eagerly  to  every  word  falling 
from  my  lips,  as  if  upon  that  word  depended  their  eternal 
happiness.  I  seem  to  see  the  tears  of  contrition  rolling 
down  their  little  cheeks.  They  anxiously  plead  for  par- 
don, and  an  interest  in  the  blood  of  Jesus.  O,  my  pastor, 
I  cannot  express  what  I  feel  on  this  subject.  At  the 
anticipation  of  beholding  a  scene  like  this,  the  tear  of  grat- 
itude already  starts  from  my  eye — ni}^  hand  trembles,  and 
my  bosom  beats  high  with  hope.  What  though  no  loved 
parent  gaze  upon  me  in  that  lonely  dwelling,  and  hear  me 
tell  of  Jesus ;  what  though  no  brother  nor  sister  fondly 
watch  my  looks  and  listen  to  my  accents !  God  will  be 
there,  and  He  who  bled  on  Calvary,  and  now  sits  enthroned 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high,  will  smile  upon 
a  scene  like  this. 

Here  is  discernible  that  same  true  spirit  of  devotion 
to  the  interests  of  souls  that  began  with  her  spiritual 
birth.  The  oppressive  efFe(5ls  of  paganism  on  the 
mind  could  not  quench  it;  and  the  alienating  in- 
fluences of  an  English  Society  at  the  Indian  capital, 
involved  in  schemes  of  gain  and  pleasure,  did  not  ma- 
terially divert  it.  Nor  did  the  vileness  of  the  natives 
abate  her  sympathy  for  them  as  immortal  beings.    She 


A   MEMORIAIv.  41 

had  in  her  chara<5ler  no  element  of  fastidiousness  to  be 
consulted  or  to  hinder  her  usefulness;  nor  had  she 
offensive  names  to  give  to  repulsive  creatures.  She 
was  right  in  heart  when  she  left  America,  and  thus  she 
continued.  She  was  anxious  for  the  conversion  of 
souls  in  the  land  she  left  and  in  that  to  which  she  had 
come — for  souls  everywhere,  without  discrimination — 
and  while  she  could  only  pray  for  those  afar  off,  she 
could  both  pray  and  labor  for  those  at  hand. 


42  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 


V. 

^jc^inning—^'j^OMANCE  of  missions/'' 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  the  Christian  life? 

Is  it  success?  or  vulgar  wealth,  or  name? 
Is  it  a  weary  struggle — a  mean  strife 

For  rank,  low  gains,  ambition,  or  for  fame? 
What  sow  we  for?  The  world?  For  fleeting  time? 

Or  far-off  harvests,  richer,  more  sublime  ? 
The  brighest  life  on  earth  was  one  of  loss. 

The  noblest  head  was  v/reathed  with  sharpest  thorn. 
Has  He  not  consecrated  pain — the  Cross? 

What  higher  crowns  can  Christian's  brow  adorn? 
Be  we  content  to  follow  on  the  road 

Which  men  count  failure,  but  which  leads  to  God." 

A  BOUT  the  middle  of  April  (1826)  joyful  tidings 
-^"^  reached  Calcutta — tidings  from  the  missionaries 
at  Ava.  They  had  been  imprisoned — no  mistake  ! — 
but  their  release  had  finally  come.  At  first  the  bare 
fact  of  their  imprisonment  was  made  known,  and  by 
and  by  its  terrible  features  were  revealed;  the  story 
growing  more  horrifying  with  each  added  fact,  to  the 
announcement  of  their  deliverance.  Dr.  Price,  one  of 
the  unfortunate  seven,  had  borne  the  entire  ministra- 
tion of  "  bonds  and  imprisonment,"  and  was  now  in 
Calcutta ;  and  there  could  be  no  reason  for  doubting 
the  circumstances  as  narrated,  nor  was  there  probabil- 
ity if,  indeed,  there  was  possibility,  of  exaggerating 
them. 


A   MKMORIAI..  43 

The  termination  of  hostilities  and  the  treaty  of 
peace  at  last  rendered  it  possible  for  the  missionaries 
to  move  to  their  prospective  field.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade 
left  Bengal  for  Burmah  in  September,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Boardman,  who  were  detained  longer,  in  the  fol- 
lowing Spring.  The  lives  of  these  advance  messen- 
gers of  peace  were  thus  far  flowing  together;  their 
joys,  their  hopes,  their  aims  were  one,  and  providen- 
tial circumstances  had  rendered  their  domestic  life  like 
that  of  one  family.  And  now  they  were  to  join  the  lib- 
erated brethren  from  Ava,  and  thus  enlarge  the  vol- 
ume of  missionary  power. 

A  new  element  of  domestic  joy  had  been  granted 
the  Boardmans,  and  their  cup  was  running  over.  The 
thirtieth  of  October  brought  to  their  chamber  the  light 
of  a  new  life — a  little  daughter,  who  was  named  for 
her  mother.  And  in  evidence  of  the  just  admiration 
of  Mr.  Boardman  for  his  wife,  he  declared  it  to  be  his 
earnest  desire  that  the  child  might  "  become  very  much 
like  her  dear,  excellent  mother." 

On  the  2oth  of  the  following  March,  a  little  more 
than  one  year  and  three  months  after  their  arrival  in 
India,  they  embarked  for  Amherst,  Burmah,  where  the 
little  force  that  American  Baptists  had  sent  out,  less  the 
dead,  w^as  now  centered.  They  were  too  late,  by  near- 
ly six  months,  to  be  welcomed  by  the  w^oman  pioneer, 
the  head  and  crown  of  American  female  missionaries ; 
she  had  finished  her  course  and  w^as  resting  beneath 
the  Hopia  tree.  But  they  were  in  time  to  see  the  ob- 
ject of  her  maternal  affedlion  before  its  death — the 
only  child  feeling  the  dying  pressure  of  her  encircling 
arms,  and  the  gift  of  her  final  hour  to  the  sympathies 


44  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

of  the  living.  Mrs.  Boardman  had  brought  in  her  own 
arms  the  evidence  and  pledge  that  no  sister  mission- 
ary's child  should  be  neglected.  She  found  little  Maria 
in  the  good  hands  of  Mrs.  Wade,  but  saw  that  she  was 
fast  following  in  the  way  to  the  Hopia  tree.  How 
much  she  was  able  to  do  for  her  before  she  was  taken 
away  cannot  be  determined,  except  that  it  is  known 
how  well  she  was  qualified  by  practice  in  her  Salem 
home,  and  in  her  new  experience  of  motherhood,  to 
minister  to  her  from  a  full  heart. 

Ten  days  elapsed,  and  little  Maria  was  with  her 
mother.  Mrs.  Boardman  was  numbered  with  the  few 
who  "  closed  her  faded  eyes,  and  bound  up  her  discol- 
ored lips,  where  the  dark  touch  of  death  first  appeared, 
and  folded  her  little  hands — the  exact  pattern  of  her 
mother's — on  her  cold  breast." — {Dr.  Jiidson?)  Then 
she  sat  down  to  versify  the  sentiments  suggested  by 
the  melancholy  event,  showing  that  her  poetic  and 
pathetic  powers  awakened  readily  at  the  touch  of  an 
occasion.  She  clasps  her  little  Sarah  more  firmly  to 
her  bosom,  as  though  suspecting  death  to  be  mak- 
ing a  close  search  among  missionary  families,  and 
then  turned  to  the  duties  of  life. 

Such  was  her  introduction  to  Burmah,  long  con- 
templated as  the  field  of  her  life  work.  Her  initiation 
was  that  of  a  second  heroine  looking  upon  the  grave 
of  the  first  and  laying  by  her  side  the  last  of  her  chil- 
dren. She  needed  assurance  that  should  such  be  her 
own  experience  she  would  be  able  to  go  through  it 
with  unfailing  faith.  She  was  one  of  those  concerning 
whom  the  first  made  the  dying  plaint,  "  The  mission- 
aries are  long  in  coming;"  but  she  had  come,  and  come 


A    MEMORIAL.  45 

to  supply  the  place  of  the  fallen  in  more  respects  and 
to  greater  satisfaction  than  human  sight  unaided  ever 
could  have  discovered. 

Mr.  Boardman,  having  visited  Maulmain,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Amherst,  agreed  with  others  in  the 
conviction  that  operations  should  be  begun  there  also, 
and  he  was  the  proper  one  to  take  that  post.  He  had 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Sir  Archibald  Campbell,  Gov- 
ernor General,  who  offered  him  "a  beautiful  spot  of 
ground,  sufficient  for  a  large  mission  establishment," 
situated  about  a  mile  south  of  the  military  canton- 
ments. Here  he  built  a  small  bamboo  house,  costing 
a  little  over  one  hundred  dollars.  Of  the  circumstances 
he  then  wrote : 

Although  our  prospects  are  not  so  settled  as  we  could 
wish,  there  still  being  no  small  uncertainty  in  regard  to 
the  future  measures  of  the  English  Government,  yet  my 
dear  companion  and  myself  feel  more  than  we  have  ever 
felt,  that  we  have  reached  the  scene  of  our  future  labors. 
These  are  people  for  whom  we  are  willing  to  labor  and  to 
die. 

Again,  May  28th,  a  week  later: 

Arrived  at  INIaulmain.  After  nearly  two  years  of  wan- 
derings, without  any  certain  dwelling-place,  we  have  to-day 
become  inhabitants  of  a  little  spot  on  earth,  and  have  en- 
tered a  house  which  we  call  our  earthly  home.  None  but 
those  who  have  been  in  similar  circumstances  can  conceive 
the  satisfaction  we  now  enjoy. 

Maulmain  obtained  prominence  on  account  of  hav- 
ing been  fixed  upon,  finally,  as  the  seat  of  the  govern- 
ment in  preference  to  Amherst.     Sir  Archibald  made 


46  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

it  the  headquartens  of  the  army,  as  being  most  con- 
venient, and  immediately  the  tide  of  population  flowed 
to  it.  In  one  year's  time  it  grew  from  a  thick  jungle 
to  a  populous  city  of  about  20,000.  It  was  located  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Salwen  river,  which  flowed  due 
south,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  its  mouth  and  not 
far  from  the  Bay  of  Bengal  on  the  west.  Across  the 
river  was  the  town  of  Martaban,  which  had  suffered  an 
exodus  of  its  population,  a  thing  easy  of  occurrence 
here,  and  was  now  comparatively  desolate,  and  the  ren- 
dezvous of  marauders.  These  robbers  were  beyond 
the  reach  of  British  authority  when  in  their  retreat, 
and  they  used  their  opportunities  to  sally  forth  and 
prey  upon  any  people  they  could  reach;  going  in 
squads,  armed  with  spears,  knives  and  other  weapons, 
and  showing  no  mercy  to  any  who  stood  in  their  way. 
Mrs.  Boardman  had  removed  to  Maulmain  while 
suffering  from  an  attack  of  the  liver  complaint,  in  a 
form  and  with  a  virulence  peculiar  to  the  country,  from 
which  she  was  relieved  by  intervals  but  not  finally  un- 
til death  brought  the  release.  So  weak  w^as  she  that 
she  was  necessarily  carried  to  the  boat  by  w^hich  she 
was  conveyed  to  her  new  home.  This  illness  and  the 
care  of  her  young  babe  rendered  her  quite  helpless,  es- 
pecially in  great  and  unexpected  emergencies,  and  also 
liable  to  a  very  great  strain  of  nerves.  It  seems 
strange  that  her  home  should  have  been  placed  as  it 
was ;  for  its  seclusion  could  not  compensate  for  the  in- 
curring of  perils,  such  as  it  at  once  passed  through. 
The  bandit  put  their  mark  upon  it,  and  directly  deter- 
mined to  know  what  it  contained  for  them.  As 
"Fanny  Forester,"  in  her  graphic  manner,  says: 


A   MEMORIAL.  47 

"  Men  in  loose  garments  of  gaily-plaided  cloth,  and 
with  their  long,  black  hair  wound  about  their  heads,  and 
confined  by  folds  of  muslin,  looked  curiously  in  at  the 
door  of  the  strange  foreigner ;  and  then  encouraged  by 
some  kind  word  or  glance,  or  the  spreading  of  a  mat, 
seated  themselves  in  their  own  fashion,  talked  a  little 
while  with  their  host,  though  often,  from  misapprehen- 
sion of  each  other's  meaning,  at  cross  purposes,  and 
went  away,  leaving  him  to  his  books  and  teacher. 
Women  and  children  gathered  more  timidl}^  but  with 
curiosity  even  less  disguised,  about  the  Kalah-ma-pyoo 
(white  foreigness),  wondering  at  her  strange  costume, 
the  fairness  of  her  skin,  and  the  superiority  displayed 
in  her  bearing ;  and  some  of  the  bolder  of  them  ven- 
turing to  touch  her  hand,  or  to  pass  their  tawny,  taper 
fingers  from  the  covered  instep  to  the  toe  of  the  neatly- 
formed  slipper,  so  unlike  their  own  clumsy  sandals." 

At  night  the  humble  dwelling  became  a  theater, 
wherein  was  enacted  a  real  scene;  almost  a  tragedy, 
with  plunderers  as  its  players,  yet  a  beautiful  tableau, 
with  unconscious  sleepers  as  the  principals.  How  two 
inharmonious  parts  could  be  performed  at  once,  Mrs. 
Boardman  shall  be  permitted  to  tell.  In  her  artless, 
epistolary  style,  addressing  Mrs.  Dr.  Bolles,  she  well 
delineates  the  circumstances: 

My  Very  Dear  Friend: — I  have  hitherto  refrained 
from  letting  you  know  the  extreme  loneliness  of  our  condi- 
tion, and  the  constant  danger  to  which  we  have  been  ex- 
jjosed.  I  knew  that  the  mention  of  these  things  would  fill 
the  hearts  of  m3'  parents  and  friends  with  fears  and  fore- 
bodings. I  knew,  too,  that  3^ou,  my  dear  friend,  would 
weep  when  thinking  of  your  vSarah  in  such  circumstances. 


48  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

But  now  that  the  danger  is  past,  and  our  situation  has 
become  more  favorable  and  pleasant,  I  may  mention  some 
circumstances  which  you  will  probably  be  interested  to 
learn. 

Maulmain,  the  place  of  our  residence,  is  vSeparated  from 
the  Burman  province  of  Martaban  only  by  the  river.  The 
opposite  side  is  the  refuge  of  robbers,  who  come  over  in 
parties,  twenty  or  thirty  in  number,  armed  with  mus- 
kets, spears,  knives,  etc.  Thus  equipped  they  break  into 
houses  in  the  most  daring  manner,  seize  everything  valu- 
able, and  retreat  immediately  with  their  booty  to  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  where  they  are  entirely  beyond  the  reach 
of  British  authority.  They  have,  in  one  or  two  instances, 
surprised  and  destroyed  whole  villages  that  were  left  un- 
guarded ;  and  in  one  place  they  even  attacked  a  guard  of 
Sep03^s.  In  some  cases,  persons  by  attempting  to  defend 
themselves  and  property  have  fallen  victims  to  the  cruelty 
of  these  monsters. 

Thus  surrounded  by  dangers  we  lived  alone  in  a  house 
of  such  frail  materials  that  it  could  be  cut  open  in  any  part 
with  a  pair  of  scissors,  in  the  midst  of  a  desolate  wood,  and 
at  some  little  distance  from  even  a  Burman  neighbor. 
There  was  then  not  one  person  in  the  Burman  village  in 
whom  we  could  place  the  least  degree  of  confidence.  It 
was  even  intimated  to  us  that  the  head  man  of  the  village 
had,  in  former  times,  been  a  leader  of  a  part}'  of  robbers. 
The  military  cantonments  are  about  a  mile  distant,  and  w-e 
are  the  only  Europeans  living  outside.  Before  we  took  up 
our  abode  here,  Sir  Archibald  Campbell  intimated  that 
some  danger  might  be  apprehended  from  wild  beasts  and 
robbers  if  we  built  without  the  cantonments,  and  gener- 
ously offered  us  a  place  inside.  This  kind  offer  we  felt  it 
our  duty  to  decline,  as  a  residence  in  the  cantonments 
would  have  cut  off  nearly  all  our  intercourse  with  the  Bur- 
mans,  and  thus  our  dearest  hopes  and  fondest  anticipations 


A   MEMORIAL.  49 

would, be  blasted.  Mr.  B.,  therefore,  with  the  approbation 
and  advice  of  his  brethren  at  Amherst,  erected  a  house  on 
this  spot,  which  we  now  occupy.  We  came  to  this  place, 
wishing,  I  trust,  to  spend  and  be  spent  among  this  people, 
and  trusting  in  an  Almighty  arm  for  protection.  Be 
assured,  my  dear  friend,  we  felt  happy  in  our  decision. 
We  saw  this  wretched,  deluded  people  perishing  in  their 
ignorance  of  the  Gospel ;  we  thought  of  the  love  of  the 
Savior  to  precious  souls ;  we  cast  a  glance  toward  Geth- 
semane  and  Calvar}^  and  that  was  sufficient.  "  Shall  we 
consult  our  pwn  ease  and  comfort?"  we  said;  "or  shall  we 
be  willing  to  take  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  our  goods?" 
This  was  the  question,  and,  I  trust,  the  grace  of  God 
enabled  us  to  choose  the  latter.  And  the  spoiling  of  our 
goods  we  were  soon  called  to  take. 

About  a  month  after  our  removal  we  were  awakened 
one  morning  just  before  da3'break.  Mr.  B.  called  for  a 
light,  and,  to  our  surprise  and  consternation,  we  found 
every  trunk  and  box  in  the  room  broken  open  and  robbed 
of  their  contents.  The  bureau  also  shared  a  similar  fate. 
The  looking-glass  we  brought  from  Philadelphia  was  gone ; 
the  watch  Mr.  B.  had  kept  so  long,  and  our  silver  spoons, 

given  me  by  my .     They  also  took  our  bunch  of  keys, 

causing  us  to  fear  that  they  might  visit  us  again  ;  especially 
as  they  had  found  only  eight  or  nine  rupees  in  money. 
After  the  first  surprise  had  a  little  subsided  I  raised  my 
eyes  to  the  mosquito  curtains  surrounding  our  bed,  and  to 
my  indescribable  emotion  saw  two  large  holes  cut,  the  one 
at  the  head  and  the  other  at  the  foot  of  the  place  where  my 
dear  husband  had  been  sleeping.  From  that  moment  I 
quite  forgot  the  stolen  goods,  and  thought  only  of  the 
treasure  that  was  spared.  In  imagination  I  saw  the  assas- 
sins with  their  horrid  weapons  standing  by  our  bedside, 
and  ready  to  do  their  worst  had  we  been  permitted  to 
awake.     O,  how  merciful  was   that  watchful   Providence 


50  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

which  prolonged  those  powerful  vSlumbers  that  night,  not 
allowing  even  the  infant  at  my  bosom  to  open  its  eyes  at 
so  critical  a  moment.  If  ever  gratitude  glowed  in  my 
heart,  if  ever  the  world  appeared  to  me  worthless  as  vanity, 
if  ever  I  wished  to  dedicate  myself,  my  husband,  my  babe, 
my  all  to  our  great  Redeemer,  it  was  at  that  time. 

The  next  morning  persons  were  employed  in  critically 
searching  the  village,  in  order  to  recover  the  lost  goods, 
but  to  no  purpose.  To  this  day  not  a  trace  has  been  found 
of  them,  leaving  no  doubt  that  they  were  taken  immedi- 
ately over  the  river  to  Martaban.  Since  our  loss  we  have 
received  many  kind  presents  from  our  friends,  so  that  we 
now  find  ourselves  comfortable,  and  are  contented  and 
happy.  Yes,  my  beloved  friend,  I  think  I  can  say  that, 
notwithstanding  our  alarm,  never  did  five  months  of  my 
life  pass  so  pleasantly  as  the  last  five  have  done.  The 
thought  of  being  among  this  people,  w^hom  we  have  so  long 
desired  to  see,  and  the  hope  that  God  would  enable  me  to 
do  some  little  good  to  the  poor  heathen,  has  rejoiced  and 
encouraged  my  heart.  I  confess  that  once  or  twice  my 
natural  timidity  has  for  a  moment  gained  the  ascendency 
over  my  better  feelings.  And  at  the  hour  of  midnight, 
when  the  howling  of  wild  beasts  has  been  silenced  by  the 
report  of  a  musket  near  us,  we  would  say  to  each  other, 
"  Perhaps  the  next  attack  maj^  be  upon  us,  and  the  next 
charge  aimed  at  our  bosoms."  Then  I  have  been  almost 
ready  to  exclaim,  "  O,  for  one  little,  little  room,  composed 
of  such  materials  as  would  enable  us  to  sleep  in  safety." 
But  these  moments  of  fear  have  been  transitory,  and  we 
have  generall}^  been  enabled  to  put  our  trust  in  the  Great 
Shepherd  of  Israel,  who  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps,  assured 
that  He  would  protect  us,  and,  if  most  for  His  glory,  would 
suffer  no  arm  of  violence  to  be  raised  against  us  ;  and  we 
have  also  felt  a  sweet  composure  in  the  recollection  that 
God  had  marked  out  our  way,  and,  if  it  best  accord  with 


A    MEMORIAL.  51 

His  designs  that  we  should  fall  a  prej'to  these  blood-thirsty 
monsters,  all  would  be  right. 

Shortly  after  the  robbery  Sir  Archibald  kindly  fur- 
nivShed  us  with  two  armed  vSepoys  to  guard  our  house;  also 
with  two  guns.  A  short  time  since  one  of  the  Sepoys, 
while  sitting  in  our  veranda,  was  attacked  by  a  tiger,  or 
some  other  wild  beast,  but  the  creature  was  frightened 
away  before  the  man  was  much  injured. 

But  what  contributed  more  than  anything  else  to  pro- 
duce the  pleasant  change  in  our  circumstances  is  the  pros- 
pect of  settlers  near  us.  I  just  begin  to  speak  the  language 
a  little,  and  am  anxious  to  be  engaged  in  this  long  antici- 
pated einplo3-ment. 

Such  was  Mns.  Boardman's  introduction  to  the 
arena  of  her  life-work.  If  this  experience  forms  a 
part  of  the  "romance  of  missions,"  it  need  not  be 
feared  that  the  number  of  applicants  for  appoint- 
ment will  be  unduly  enlarged  through  mere  senti- 
ment. Woman's  sensibilities  will  generally  save  her 
from  casting  herself  into  a  den  of  robbers  or  of  wild 
beasts,  wdthout  a  sufficient  occasion.  The  patient 
continuance  of  missionaries,  especially  in  the  early 
time,  is  ample  vindication  of  the  sublime  motive 
actuating  them. 


52  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 


VI. 
^onxe  antf  School — maulmain  and 

TAVOY. 

* 

"  I  looked  to  the  West,  and  the  beautiful  sky 

Which  morning  had  clouded  was  clouded  no  more; 
Kven  thus,  I  exclaimed,  can  a  Heavenly  Eye 

Shed  light  on  the  soul  that  was  darkened  before." 

For  love  with  loving  is  not  spent, 
Not  such  is  love's  divine  intent; 
What  year  on  year  the  sun  shall  dim  ? 
What  worship  tire  the  seraphim? 

Rose  Terry  Cooke. 

^  I  '^HE  growth  and  spread  of  population  soon  gave 
^  the  missionaries  a  central  position  in  the  town, 
and  not  only  was  their  danger  much  lessened,  but 
likewise  their  contact  wdth  those  they  hoped  to  benefit 
was  much  increased. 

Mrs.  Boardman's  skill  as  a  teacher  was  now  brought 
into  requisition,  and  her  wand,  mild  but  powerful,  was 
not  laid  aside  for  many  a  year.  Teaching  w^as  her 
"element,"  if  a  person  may  be  said  to  have  a  special 
element,  after  mentioning  the  domestic  and  spiritual, 
which  to  her  mind  were  supreme.  In  writing  home 
to  a  little  sister  some  seven  months  after  commencing 
life  at  Maulmain,  she  says : 

"  I  have  a  Sabbath   school   of  little  Burman  girls, 
who  are  learning  their  catechism  and  their  pra^'ers. 


A   MEMORIAL  53 

We  have  no  hymns  in  the  Burmese,  or  I  should  teach 
them  hymns  also.  We  have  (I  and  Mrs.  Wade),  besides 
this,  a  school  during  the  week,  in  which  the  tawny 
little  girls  learn  to  read  and  sew.  They  are  also  learn- 
ing the  multiplication  table ;  and  they  are  just  begin- 
ning the  first  part  of  the  same  arithmetic  which  you 
study,  translated  into  the  language.  These  poor  lit- 
tle girls  would  have  nobody  to  tell  them  of  God  and 
of  Christ,  of  Heaven  and  of  Hell,  if  there  were  no 
missionaries  here.  Are  you  not  glad  that  your  sis- 
ter Sarah  has  come  to  tell  them  of  these  important 
things?" 

Inquirers  as  well  as  the  curious-minded  had  been 
gathering  about  the  missionaries  for  some  months, 
and  kindness  to  them,  especially  in  their  afflictions, 
had  won  a  place  of  influence  in  their  hearts.  Their 
knowledge  of  Burmese  was  sufficient  to  enable  them  to 
make  known  the  Gospel  to  some  extent;  but  the 
minds  of  the  inquirers,  as  they  themselves  said,  were 
"dark  and  uncultivated,  like  the  jungle." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  had  vSat  down  by  them- 
selves and  commemorated  the  Redeemer's  d^'ing  love, 
rejoicing  in  the  delightful  privilege,  but  longing  for  an 
increase  of  comnumicants  from  among  the  deluded 
idolaters.  The  time  was  now  at  hand  when  they  were 
to  be  gratified.  The  mission  at  Amherst  was  discon- 
tinued, as  being  unpromising,  and  all  the  laborers  were 
now  at  Maulmain  ;  among  them  Moung  Ing,  an  early 
troph}'  of  the  Rangoon  Mission,  and  the  devoted  helper 
of  Mrs.  Ann  H.  Judson,  who  had  been  ordained  re- 
centh'  and  had  been  laboring  among  his  countr3'men 
in  the  vicinit}'.  The  few  other  disciples  from  Am- 
herst were  also  here. 


54  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

After  the  opening  of  the  new  3- ear  (1828),  Mrs. 
Boardman  had  another  joy :  that  of  witnessing  a  bap- 
tismal scene — the  first  she  had  looked  upon  in  Burmah 
— with  Burmese  as  the  subjects  and  Mr.  Judson  as 
administrator.  Another  convert  was  maturing  in  evi- 
dence of  fitness  for  the  ordinance,  but  slowly.  He  had 
been  a  slave,  but  was  redeemed  by  Mr.  Judson ;  was  a 
man  of  bad  temper  and  was  dangerous,  and  so  his  ac- 
ceptance was  deferred  for  about  one  year.  Finally  the 
Maulmain  church  authorized  his  baptism,  and  Mr. 
Boardman,  taking  him  with  him  on  his  removal  to 
Tavoy,  there  baptized  him — the  first  Karen  convert, 
and  the  first  native  prer.cher  to  the  Karens,  Ko  Thah- 
byu.  This  occurred  on  May  16,  1828;  and  though 
Mr.  Boardman  rejoiced  with  trembling,  it  proved  to  be 
the  starting  of  this  man  on  a  career  of  service  rarely 
equaled  by  that  of  any  other  converted  heathen  to  the 
present  time. 

A  short  sketch  of  this  peculiar  and  interesting  char- 
acter, so  closely  identified  with  the  rise  and  progress  of 
the  Karen  Mission,  has  been  furnished  for  this  work 
by  Mrs.  F.  G.  Bullen,  youngest  sister  of  Mr.  Board- 
man,  now  in  her  eighty-first  year.  She  writes  :  "  When 
Dr.  Judson  was  in  this  country,  in  1846,  he  visited  my 
home  in  New  Sharon,  Me.  While  there  he  related  the 
following  incidents,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recollect,  con- 
cerning Ko  Thah-byu.  If  what  I  have  written  will  be 
of  any  use  to  you,  it  is  at  your  service : 

Ko  Thah-byu  became  a  member  of  the  mission  family 
through  his  own  solicitation.  He  went  to  Mr.  Judson  and 
begged  him  to  pay  the  twent}'  rupees  required  for  his  free- 
dom and  let  him  live  with  him.     Mr.  Judson  told  him 


A    MEMORIAL.  55 

plainly  he  did  not  want  him,  saying,  "  I  have  no  use  for 
you."  Still  the  man  begged  so  hard  that  Mr.  Judson  told 
him  to  go  away  for  a  few  days  and  then  come  back,  and  he 
would  tell  him  whether  or  not  he  would  take  him.  Accord- 
ingly after  a  few  days  Ko  Thah-byu  returned  and  learned 
that  Mr.  Judson  had  decided  to  grant  his  request.  After 
giving  him  his  freedom  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to 
cleanse  him  from  his  filthiness,  "for,"  said  Mr.  Judson, 
"  he  was  the  ugliest-looking,  filthiest  person  in  human 
shape  I  ever  saw."  After  this  Mr.  Judson  procured  a  mat 
for  him  to  sit  on,  and  then  placed  writing  material  before 
him.  "But,"  said  Mr.  Judson,  "how  he  was  to  hold  a 
pen  in  his  hand  was  more  than  I  could  see,  for  his  hands 
were  more  like  the  claws  of  a  wild  beast  than  like  human 
hands."  But,  to  Mr.  Judson's  great  surprise,  he  succeeded 
after  a  fashion.  In  the  next  place  he  began  to  teach  him 
to  read,  and  in  this  department  he  did  equally  well.  When 
Mr.  Judson  told  him  of  the  one  true  and  only  God,  and  of 
Jesus  Christ  the  Savior  of  sinners,  he  at  once  took  in  the 
thought  that  perhaps  Christ  might  save  him,  although  he 
ivas  the  z'ery  chief  of  sinners.  He  then  confessed  his  sins 
before  God  and  man,  and  his  great  need  of  pardon  through 
the  Savior  of  siniers,  and  gave  his  heart  to  God. 

On  the  arrival  of  Messrs.  Judson  and  Wade  in  Maul- 
main  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  build  a  house  for  them- 
selves. There  was  on  the  mission  premises  an  old  miser- 
able shanty  occupied  by  two  lepers.  It  was  thought  best 
by  the  missionaries  to  offer  these  lepers  ten  rupees  to  leave 
the  old  shanty,  and  then  to  burn  it  down,  as  no  one  except 
lepers  would  live  in  a  place  previously  occupied  by  lepers. 
The  missionaries  succeeded  in  getting  rid  of  the  lepers, 
but  being  much  engaged  in  their  work  they  neglected  to 
burn  down  the  wretched  house.  One  day,  returning  from 
town,  where  he  had  been  to  make  preparations  for  build- 
ing, to  his  great  surprise  and  horror  INIr.  Judson  saw  smoke 


56  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

issuing  from  the  old  building,  and  the  thought  at  once 
came  to  him  that  other  lepers  had  gone  there  for  shelter. 
Feeling  that  it  would  be  rather  an  expensive  operation  to 
buy  off  another  set,  he  was  led  to  go  and  look  in  through 
the  cracks  to  see  who  was  there.  To  his  astonishment  he 
saw  in  one  corner  a  sick  old  woman,  lying  on  a  pile  of 
straw  with  her  daughter,  a  young  woman,  and  two  small 
bo3-s.  He  inquired  into  their  condition  and  learned  that 
they  were  Karens  from  Martaban,  who  had  come  dow^n  the 
river  in  a  small  boat.  While  on  their  passage  to  Maulmain 
the  husband  and  father  had  died  from  fever,  and  now  the 
mother  was  suffering  from  the  same  disease,  and  in  the 
most  wretched  condition  imaginable;  sick  unto  death  in 
this  miserable  hovel,  with  no  one  to  minister  to  her  or  care 
for  her  children.  Mr.  Judson  thought  at  once  he  would 
go  to  the  mission  house  and  get  some  comforts  for  the 
d3'ing  woman ;  but,  strange  to  say,  the  pressure  of  house 
building  and  other  important  duties  drove  the  poor  dis- 
tressed sufferers  out  of  his  mind. 

A  few  days  later  he  saw  passing  along  the  street  the 
poorest,  most  miserable  looking  funeral  procession  he 
ever  saw  in  his  life.  The  thought  immediately  came  to 
him  that  this  poor  old  Karen  woman  had  died,  and  that 
she  was  being  borne  to  her  burial  by  the  heathen.  His 
large  heart  w^as  rent  with  anguish  as  he  went  to  his  home, 
and  on  reaching  it  he  threw^  himself  down,  and,  to  use  his 
own  words,  "I  cried  like  a  baby,  to  think  that  I,  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  heathen,  could  neglect  this  poor  woman  in 
her  dying  hours,  and  that  these  heathen  should  do  what 
I  ought  to  have  done.  I  then  and  there  resolved  that 
what  I  had  neglected  to  do  should,  in  part  at  lea.st,  be 
atoned  for  by  providing  for  the  orphan  children.  I  took 
the  girl  into  my  own  keeping,  when  she  gave  her  two 
brothers,  about  eight  and  ten  j^ears  old,  to  Mr.  Boardman 
for  his  own."     The  girl,  about  eighteen  years  old,  was  at 


A   MEMORIAL.  57 

once  put  into  school  and  learned  to  read  quite  readily.  As 
soon  as  she  could  understand  concerning  the  religion  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  she  became  interested  to  learn  about 
it,  and  one  or  two  years  later  received  it  into  her  heart. 
She  had  not  been  with  Mr.  Judson  very  long  before  it 
was  discovered  that  an  attachment  was  growing  up  be- 
tween herself  and  Ko  Thah-byu,  and  finally  Ko  Thah-byu 
asked  Mr.  Judson  if  they  could  be  married.  Permission 
being  granted,  the  ceremony  was  performed  in  a  Christian 
manner.  After  a  few  weeks  Ko  Thah-byu  presented  him- 
self to  the  church  for  baptism.  The  church  at  Maulmain 
at  that  time  numbered  ten  members.  It  was  their  custom, 
whenever  any  one  applied  for  admission,  to  vote  on  the 
case  by  ballot,  and  if  there  was  one  blank  in  the  box  the 
candidate  was  refused.  At  this  time  two  blanks  were 
found.  When  ^Mr.  Judson  told  Ko  Thah-b3'u  he  was  not  ac- 
cepted b}'  the  church,  he  replied,  "  I  don't  wonder;  I  don't 
see  how  they  could  receive  such  a  sinner  as  I  am ;  but  if  it 
is  possible  for  me  to  live  so  that  they  can  receive  me,  I 
shall  do  it."  A  few  days  later  Mr.  Judson  asked  ISIr. 
Boardman  if  he  could  tell  who  cast  those  two  ballots.  Mr. 
Boardman  replied  that  he  did  ;  it  was  his  wife  and  himself. 
"Why,"  said  Mr.  Judson,  "  don't  you  believe  that  Ko  Thah- 
byu  is  a  Christian?"  "Yes,"  said  Mr.  Boardman,  "I  sup- 
pose he  is ;  but  he  is  so  disagreeable  I  could  ?io^  vote  for 
him  to  come  into  the  church."  It  soon  became  verj- evident 
to  all  that  Ko  Thah-b3'u  was  trj'ing  ver}^  hard  to  over- 
come his  terrible  temper,  and  to  live  a  consistent  Christian 
life.  At  the  next  covenant  meeting,  a  month  later,  he 
again  presented  himself  for  baptism,  and  to  his  great  jo}^ 
he  was  received  by  a  unanimous  vote.  The  day  was  ap- 
pointed for  his  baptism,  but  the  weather  prevented  the 
ordinance  being  administered,  and  two  or  three  other  days 
were  appointed,  but  unavoidable  circumstances  prevented 
the  baptism. 


58  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

The  night  before  Mr.  Boardman  was  to  leave  Maulmain 
for  Tavoy,  the  wife  of  Ko  Thah-byu  went  to  him  and  .said, 
"  Teacher,  you  go  to  Tavoy  to-morrow,  do  you?"  "Yes," 
replied  Mr.  Boardman.  "  Well,"  said  Mah-ay  (for  that  was 
her  name),  "  you  can't  have  my  brothers  to  go  there."  Mr. 
Boardman  said,  "  Yes,  I  want  my  boys."  "  No,"  continued 
Mah-ay,  "  if  you  want  my  brothers,  teacher,  you  must  take 
me."  "  No,"  said  Mr.  Boardman,  "  I  don't  want  you,  but  I 
do  want  my  boys.  You  gave  them  to  me,  and  now  they 
are  mine."  "  No,"  said  the  sister,  "  if  you  take  them,  you 
must  let  me  go  too."  Mr.  Boardman  saw  that  argument 
was  useless,  and  went  to  Mr.  Judson  to  ask  his  advice. 
Mr.  Judson  said :  "  Now  would  it  not  be  best  for  you  to 
take  Ko  Thah-b3^u  and  his  wife  with  you  to  Tavoy  ?  He 
has  not  yet  been  baptized.  You  can  baptize  him  there, 
and  thus  make  a  beginning."  "  Oh,"  said  Mr.  Boardman, 
"  I  can  not  have  Ko  Thah-byu  in  my  family ;  he  is  so  very 
disagreeable ;  I  don't  see  how  I  can  take  them."  "  Think 
and  pray  over  it,  and  perhaps  the  Lord  will  show  you  that 
it  is  best  to  take  them  with  you,"  said  Mr.  Judson. 

Mr.  Boardman  followed  this  advice.  He  spent  the 
w^hole  night  pacing  the  floor,  and  praying  that  the  Lord 
would  show  him  his  duty.  At  the  dawn  of  day  Mr.  Board- 
man  went  to  the  apartment  of  Ko  Thah-byu  and  told  him 
he  had  decided  to  bring  them  to  Tavoy.  At  nine  o'clock 
they  were  on  their  way  down  the  river.  They  had  been  in 
Tavoy  but  a  few  days  when  Ko  Thah-byu  went  up  into  the 
mountains  and  brought  down  over  thirty  of  his  countr}-- 
men  to  inquire  about  the  new  religion.  When  Mr.  Board- 
man  saw  with  what  eagerness  these  wild  people  of  the 
forests  listened  to  his  instructions,  and  the  earnest  desire 
Ko  Thah-byu  manifested  for  the  conversion  of  his  country- 
men, he  fell  down  before  God,  and,  as  Mr.  Judson  said, 
"wept  like  a  child;"  wept  that  he  should  for  once  have 
doubted  God's  ability  to  use  any  means,  however  repul- 


A    MKMORIAI^.  59 

sive  to  our  human  nature,  to  bring  souLs  to  hinivSelf ;  yea, 
and  he  wept  tears  of  joy,  that  this  poor,  ignorant  race 
were  so  ready  to  listen  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Cross. 

This  company  of  Karens  were  nearly  all,  subsequently, 
brought  into  the  Kingdom  of  Christ. 

MRS.  F.  G.  BUIvIvEN. 
Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  August  i,  1888. 

To  complete  this  episode,  it  should  be  said  that  the 
wife  of  Ko  Thah-byu  became  a  Christian  and  was  bap- 
tized at  Tavoy  in  less  than  a  year  after  the  removal  to 
that  place.  Mr.  Boardman's  journal  contains  the  fol- 
lowing reference,  March  5,  1829:  "  Mah-ay,  Ko  Thah- 
byu's  wife,  underwent  an  examination  in  relation  to 
her  Christian  experience.  She  was  formerly  very  igno- 
rant and  very  wicked,  but  under  the  care  and  instruc- 
tion of  her  husband  and  Mrs.  Boardman  she  has,  within 
the  last  few  months,  become  a  very  hopeful  inquirer, 
and  now  appears  to  be  truly  converted.  She  requested 
baptism  three  months  ago." 

Great  solicitude  was  felt  that  the  Lord  would  "  give 
stability  and  perseverance  to  his  handmaid,"  and  he 
did.  She  maintained  a  creditable  profession,  and  died 
at  Kans-Kaw-Syah,  November  29,  1887,  after  nearly 
sixty  years  of  patient  continuance  in  well-doing. 

With  the  accession  of  converts  and  the  enlargement 
of  the  number  of  participants  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  life 
began  to  have  such  an  aspecfl  as  Mrs.  Boardman  had 
been  hoping  it  might  have.  She  was  very  active  in  her 
school  work,  yet  her  heart  retained  its  characteristic 
desire  that  all  might  have  the  supreme  good,  the 
heavenly.  It  maybe  said  that  she  was  "not  slothful 
in  business  "  and  was  "  fervent  in  spirit."    Her  husband 


6o  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

wrote  of  her  that  she  was  "  delighted  with  her  employ- 
ment." Later,  in  a  letter  to  his  mother,  he  said:  "As 
Sarah  is  most  incessantly  engaged  in  the  school,  and  in 
family  cares,  she  hopes  you  will  not  think  her  wanting 
in  filial  affection,  if,  instead  of  writing  a  separate  letter, 
she  should  sign  her  name  with  that  of  your  son.  *  *  * 
We  feel  deeply  interested  in  the  schools.  Sarah  spends 
all  her  time  from  breakfast  till  noon  with  the  Burman 
girls,  besides  having  the  charge  of  all  the  clothes  of 
both  the  schools  and  the  provisions  for  the  boys.  On 
Lord's-days  she  spends  some  time  in  instructing  them 
in  Christianity,  and  occasionally^converses,  as  she  is 
able,  with  Burman  women  on  religious  subjects." 

Time  brought  about  another  change  in  the  life  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman.  Scarcely  a  year  had  passed 
since  they  entered  Maulmain,  yet  they  had  seen  a  city 
spring  up  in  the  wilderness  and  had  been  instrumental, 
in  part,  in  establishing  there  a  permanent  mission. 
And  now  it  seemed  good  to  the  brethren  here  and  also 
to  the  Board  in  America  that  the  missionary  force, 
small  as  it  was,  should  be  distributed.  And  who  should 
go  to  an  untried  field,  if  not  those  who  had  been  the 
first  to  enter  this  one,  and  had  learned  how  to  receive 
first  experiences,  especially  "perils  of  robbers?" 

Tavoy,  an  inviting  province  on  the  south,  having 
a  coast  line  of  about  one  hundred  miles  on  the  Bay  of 
Bengal,  seemed  to  have  most  attraction  for  present 
effort.  It  was  a  part  of  the  territory  ceded  by  the  Bur- 
man monarch  in  the  late  treaty,  and  was  now  under 
the  British  government.  And  yet  no  field,  except  for 
the  object  already  mentioned — distribution  of  labor — 
could  have  enticed  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  to  leave 


A   MEMORIAL.  6l 

the  spot  they  had  begun  to  call  "  home "  and  the  in- 
terest prevailing  among  the  natives  that  had  so  touched 
their  hearts.  There  were  the  schools,  such  a  credit  and 
joy  to  Mrs.  Boardman — how  could  she  leave  them? 
But  she  did  all  things  without  murmuring. 

On  the  29th  of  March  of  this  year,  1828,  the  Board- 
mans,  with  a  small  but  ver}^  interesting  group  of  na- 
tives, made  up  of  one  recently  baptized,  Ko  Thah-byu, 
who  was  expecting  to  be  baptized,  and  four  of  the  boys 
from  the  Maulmain  school,  started  for  Tavoy,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  south.  Their  course  was  by 
river  to  Amherst,  and  thence  by  sea  and  the  Tavoy 
river  to  within  twenty-one  miles  of  destination,  where 
ships  were  compelled  to  anchor,  and  the  rest  of  the  w^ay 
by  boat.  The  embarkment  at  Amherst  was  very  nat- 
urally delayed,  and  opportunity  was  thus  given  the 
mission  family  to  go  ashore  and  visit  the  memorable 
spot  where  reposes  the  dust  of  Mrs.  Judson  and  her 
child.  Mr.  Boardman  recorded  in  his  journal  the  re- 
flections that  the  sad  associations  suggested,  while  Mrs. 
Boardman  could  but  register  hers  on  the  finer  tablet  of 
the  heart,  to  be  revived  in  other,  eventful  years.  Soft 
and  solemn  was  the  tread  about  the  "rude  fence,"  with 
its  precious  inclosure,  and  softer,  on  account  of  the 
visit,  was  the  walk  of  the  after  life  before  Him  w^ho  is 
supreme  Disposer  of  persons  and  events  !  * 

Tavo}^  which  from  that  date  has  had  a  prominent 
place  in  missionary  annals,  was  then  a  city  of  nine  or 

=■'  The  original  Hopia  tree  has  succumbed  to  the  elements.  The  sea, 
washing-  away  the  earth,  has  encroached  on  the  long  repose  of  the  pre. 
cious  dust,  and  the  Woman's  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  of  the  U. 
S.  is  preparing  to  remove  the  remains  inland  and  to  surround  them 
with  a  suitable  fence.    Another  Hopia  tree  has  grown  up  near  by. 


62  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

ten  thousand  inhabitants,  the  majority  of  them  Bur- 
mans.  "  The  city  itself  was  one  of  the  leading  strong- 
holds of  the  religion  of  Gaudama,  and  when  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Boardman  took  up  their  abode  there  in  April, 
1828,  it  was  the  residence  of  two  hundred  priests. 
Temples  and  shrines  dedicated  to  heathen  worship 
arose  in  every  part  of  the  city,  and  as  the  missionary 
wandered  through  its  regular  and  well  arranged  streets 
in  search  of  a  site  whereon  to  build  a  zayat  and  a 
mission  house,  he  could  find  scarcely  a  spot  that  was 
not  crowded  with  emblems  of  idolatry.  It  alone  con- 
tained nearly  one  thousand  pagodas,  besides  great  num- 
bers which  crowned  the  hill-tops  and  eminences  in  the 
surrounding  country." — {Ga7nmell.) 

This»  in  brief,  was  the  city  to  which  the  Boardmans 
went,  and  where  their  missionary  career  really  com- 
menced. They  had  been  preparing  for  their  work  at 
Calcutta  and  at  Maulmain  as  best  they  could,  but  thej^ 
ascertained  that  the  dialect  that  they  had  been  learning 
would  not  answer  for  the  Karens,  and  that  they  must 
come  into  immediate  contact  with  this  people  in  order 
to  get  the  sounds,  tones,  etc.,  necessary  to  form  a  me- 
dium of  communication  with  them. 

Mr.  Boardman  w^as  self-reliant  and  courageous,  and 
so,  foregoing  all  dependence  on  the  professed  friend- 
ship of  the  priests  and  determining  to  do  the  work  he 
came  to  do,  he  fixed  the  seat  of  his  operations  in  the 
very  best  part  of  the  town.  He  found  an  old  zayat 
there,  which  he  repaired  and  put  in  order,  and  in  which 
he  spent  each  day  in  conversing  with  callers,  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  and  in  further  qualifying  himself  in 
the  language.     The  men  knew  more  of  the  Burmese 


A    MEMORIAI,.  63 

dialect  than  did  the  women,  on  account  of  their  greater 
advantages  by  outdoor  contact ;  and  hence  Mrs.  Board- 
man  was  still  longer  in  becoming  able  to  converse  sat- 
isfactorily with  the  females  about  her.  She  had  no 
female  Christian  with  her,  and  the  most  she  could  do 
was  to  sympathize  with  her  husband,  and  depend  upon 
him  for  instruction  in  the  language. 

Still,  w^ith  the  boys  brought  down  from  Maulmain 
under  her  care  and  tuition,  whose  number  was  increas- 
ing, and  with  her  child  in  her  arms  and  her  own  health 
to  recuperate  or  preserve,  she  was  not  without  employ- 
ment. And  yet,  teaching  being  to  her  a  joy  if  not  a 
passion,  and  affording  her  present  opportunity  for  use- 
fulness, she  succeeded,  after  "  unwearied  toil,  repeated 
repulses  and  discouragements,  in  establishing  a  girl's 
school,  and,  as  soon  as  possible,  emplo3'ed  a  woman, 
whom  she  had  taught  to  read,  as  an  assistant."  The 
following  mention  of  a  visit  to  it  is  highly  character- 
istic of  her,  and  is  a  gleam  from  her  beautiful  life : 

"  I  am  just  returned  from  one  of  the  day-schools. 
The  sun  had  not  risen  when  I  arrived,  but  the  little 
girls  were  in  the  house  ready  for  instru6lion.  My  walk 
to  this  school  is  through  a  retired  road,  shaded  on  one 
side  by  the  old  wall  of  the  city,  which  is  overgrown  by 
wild  creepers  and  pole-flowers,  and  on  the  other  by 
large  fruit-trees.  While  going  and  returning  I  find 
it  sweet  and  profitable  to  think  on  the  shortness  of 
time,  the  vanity  of  this  delusive  world — and,  oh!  I 
have  had  some  precious  views  of  that  world  where  the 
'weary  are  at  rest,'  and  where  sin,  that  enemy  of  God, 
and  now  constant  disturber  of  my  peace,  will  no  more 
affedt  me." 


64  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

Such  was  the  growth  of  interest,  her  home  became 
a  kind  of  rehgious  rendezvous.  The  verandas  on  the 
several  sides  gave  opportunity  for  groups  to  converse, 
or  for  inquirers  to  meet  some  one  competent  to  direct 
them,  or  for  the  native  Christians  to  hold  praj-er  meet- 
ings. Within,  Mr.  Boardman  would  impart  instruc- 
tion, and  Mrs.  Boardman  do  likewise,  or  study  apart 
from  him. 

On  the  1 8th  of  August  of  this  year,  1828,  the  house- 
hold was  enlarged :  the  domestic  joy  and  care  increased 
by  the  birth  of  a  son — George  Dana.  He  was  "  a  pale, 
puny  creature,  with  his  father's  spiritual  look — the 
same  delicate  fashioning  of  feature  and  transparenc}^  of 
complexion,  and  the  same  blue  veins  crossing  the  tem- 
ples," that  formed  the  description  of  his  father's  young 
manhood  as  a  student  at  Waterville.  On  the  contrary 
the  little  daughter  was  the  very  personification  of 
health,  ''plump  and  ros)^-cheeked  as  could  be  wished." 
And  yet,  in  a  few  months  the  tale  was  reversed,  and 
little  Sarah  was  the  special  subject  of  sympathy,  and 
was  finally  borne  away  to  her  burial,  while  the  little  son 
stood  firmly  against  the  destroyer  and  has  lived  to  this 
day.  God  was  gracious  to  His  handmaiden  in  that 
though  death  sometimes  desolated  her  home,  there  w^as 
no  time  from  the  coming  of  the  first-born  to  the  hour 
of  her  own  decease  when  she  was  without  a  token  of 
motherhood  to  cheer  the  way. 


A  MEMORIAI,.  65 


VII. 

^*®rial  0f  S^ffiictxon''—T//B  FIRST 

GRA  VE. 

O,  fear  not  in  a  world  like  this, 
And  thou  shalt  know  ere  long, 

Know  how  sublime  a  thing  it  is 
To  suffer  and  be  strong. 

LONGFEI.1.OW. 

Death  knits  as  well  as  parts. 

Lowell. 

AS  the  life  of  a  wife  is  identified  with  that  of  her 
-  husband,  and  the  more  completely  so  when  both 
are  enlisted  in  a  single  benevolent  enterprise,  it  will  be 
regarded  a  part  of  Mrs.  Boardman's  biography  to  trace 
the  special  journeys  and  labors  her  husband  performed 
and  in  which  she  may  be  said  to  have  participated. 
The  natural  expansion  of  his  work  w^as  from  the  zaj^at 
to  the  jungle.  The  former  alone  did  not  afford  ample 
opportunity  to  a  man  of  his  temperament  and  elasticity 
of  mind  and  method.  He  was  scholarly  in  his  tastes, 
but  he  was  also  and  pre-eminently  evangelistic  in 
spirit. 

The  Providence  who  furnishes  the  fields  takes  care 
that  the  paths  to  them  are  broken,  that  there  be  no 
misgiving  as  to  His  will  and  the  fields  themselves.  He 
sends  his  herald  into  the  wilderness  to  announce  his 
coming  and  message,  and  ofttimes  he  retains  him  there 


66  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

for  further  service.  Ko  Thah-byu  was  a  marked  in- 
stance of  divine  provision  to  break  the  way  for  a 
skilled  workman.  He  had  been  a  bold,  bad  man  ;  then 
he  was  a  convert  to  Christ  whom  the  brethren  doubted, 
and  kept  back  from  professing  his  faith  for  a  full  year ; 
then  an  inmate  of  the  home  of  the  man  who  was  exadlly 
qualified  to  understand  his  errors,  to  appreciate  his 
strong  points  and  to  put  him  to  the  noblest  use.  Such 
was  the  chosen  Karen  Herald.  Immediately  after  his 
baptism,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  countrymen,  he 
started  on  a  tour  eastward,  beyond  the  mountains, 
to  tell  his  fellow-men  of  Christ.  Baffled  by  rains  and 
floods  he  turned  back  and  directed  his  steps  to  a  settle- 
ment out  of  the  way,  there  to  preach  and  gain  a  con- 
vert, who  came  with  him  to  Tavo}^  was  baptized,  and, 
returning,  was  the  means  of  evangelizing  his  village. 
Ko  Thah-byu  goes  again,  returning  successful.  Again 
and  again  he  threads  the  mazes,  with  which  he  was 
already  familiar,  and  always  with  trophies  of  conquest 
for  the  Master.  The  people  heard  him,  and  then  they 
flocked  to  town  to  see  and  learn  further  from  "the 
teacher  "  from  whom  he  came.  Back  and  forth  went 
this  remarkable  "  wild-man,"  fearing  nothing,  ready  for 
anything — a  burning  and  a  shining  light  amid  pagan 
darkness.  His  more  striking  characteristics  were  con- 
sistency of  life  (abated  only  by  the  snares  into  which 
his  temper  cast  him),  power  of  persuasion,  zeal  in 
behalf  of  his  countrymen,  and  a  tireless  energy  that 
scarcely  recognized  an  obstacle.  He  studied  the  field, 
threaded  every  part  of  it  amid  great  difficulties,  often 
wading  streams  to  the  arm-pits,  attempting  great  things 
for  God  and  expecting  great  things  from  God,  and  was 


A    MEMORIAI,.  67 

never  disappointed.  He  broke  ground  for  subsequent 
ingatherings  by  Boardman,  Abbott,  Vinton  and  others. 
He  died  at  about  sixty-two  years  of  age,  having  been  a 
Christian  about  twelve  years,  and  all  that  time  a  herald 
of  the  Cross — a  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness."^^ 

Such  was  the  man  who  kindled  the  first  Pentecostal 
fires  among  the  mountains  of  Burmah  and  Siam.  It  is 
unparalleled  in  Christendom  that  a  heathen  should  be 
converted  in  order  to  open  his  own  nation  to  the  Gos- 
pel. Whatever  may  have  been  the  hope  entertained 
concerning  his  movement  for  saving  his  countrymen, 
it  was  distinctively  his  own,  and  it  had  the  influence 
on  Mr.  Boardman's  mind  that  originality  in  such  a  case 
is  calculated  to  exert.  It  was  an  advance  step,  taken 
by  a  native  who  was  presumably  in  a  state  of  spiritual 
tutelage.  But  Mr.  Boardman's  quick-discerning  eye 
saw  the  strategic  force  of  the  plan,  and  his  glowing 
heart  ^provided  the  necessary  impulse.  Not  only 
should  this  ardent  disciple  be  countenanced,  but  he 
should  be  reinforced  as  well;  and  his  own' consecration 
vow  at  Waterville  was  not  forgotten — ''I  will  go'' 

February,  1829,  was  the  month  in  which  the  new 
departure  in  missions  was  inaugurated  at  Tavoy,  and 
in  which  a  consequent  new  experience  began  in  the 
Boardman  home.  Mr.  Boardman  at  that  time  made 
his  first  tour  among  the  Karens.  In  December  pre- 
ceding, a  large  number  came  in  and  desired  him  to  go 
out  with  them  to  their  villages.  But  being  engaged  in 
building  a  house,  a  necessity  he  could  not  avoid,  he 
put  them  off  for  one  month.     On  the  next  day  he  ex- 

=■=  A  full  Memoir,  by  Rev.  Francis  Mason,  D.  D.,  and  published  at 
Bassein,  Burmah,  may  be  had  of  the  Mission  Rooms,  Boston.    Price  50c. 


68  SARAH    B.   JUDSON, 

perienced  the  first  alarming  symptom  of  pulmonary 
disease,  spitting  of  blood,  which  continued  for  one  day, 
and  was  quite  copious.  On  the  third  day  he  felt  quite 
well  again ;  and  the  same  day  Ko  Thah-byu  started  on 
his  third  tour  among  the  villages  of  the  wilderness, 
accompanied  by  his  Karen  friends.  What  must  have 
been  the  joy  of  the  missionary  to  follow  them! 

But  there  was  a  household  interested  in  all  these 
things — a  wife  who  had  suffered  much  from  illness, 
two  little  ones  and  the  boarding  school.  No  one  could 
more  earnestly  desire  the  salvation  of  the  singular 
creatures  who  were  visiting  their  home  than  did  Mrs. 
Boardman.  Every  benevolent  impulse  of  her  hus- 
band's heart  found  a  responding  pulsation  in  her  own. 
But  to  bear  this  sickness  and  these  cares,  with  no  one 
present  who  could  speak  of  home  or  heaven  in  the  dia- 
led; of  her  country,  and  her  only  earthly  protector  away 
and  amid  all  manner  of  perils,  the  worst  of  which,  as 
she  knew,  was  the  exposure  of  his  frail  system  to 
inevitable  ills — this  was  most  too  much  for  a  tender 
heart  to  experience.  She,  however,  was  comforted  by 
gentle  words  from  the  wife  of  Ko  Thah-byu,  who  had 
recently  become  a  Christian.  The  consoling  thought 
expressed  was  that  the  teacher  had  "gone  on  a  mes- 
sage of  compassion  to  my  (her)  poor  perishing  country- 
men," and  that  God  would  take  care  of  him.  Such 
simplicity  of  thought  and  genuine  Christian  feeling  in 
one  so  recently  brought  into  the  light  must  have  acted 
upon  Mrs.  Boardman's  mind  as  a  counteracting  in- 
fluence of  much  power. 

After  nine  days'  absence  Mr.  Boardman  "  had  the 
pleasure  of  reaching  home  and  of  finding  all  healthful 


A   MEMORIAI..  69 

and  happy."  He  had  traveled  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  in  the  wilderness  and  preached  seventeen  times. 
Many  parts  were  entirely  destitute  of  habitations  and 
were  infested  by  ravenous  beasts.  Ko  Thah-byu,  a 
very  important  companion,  and  another  Karen  pro- 
fessor, with  two  of  the  largest  boys  in  the  school  and  a 
cook,  constituted  the  company.  The  country  being 
almost  entirely  without  roads,  they  were  compelled  to 
tramp  through  rice  fields  and  thickets,  in  sun  and  in 
shade,  and  in  want  of  shelter  to  be  drenched  repeatedly 
by  the  heavy  tropical  showers.  The  Karens,  apprised 
of  their  coming,  did  the  best  they  could  for  their 
comfort  and  success,  building  zayats  and  furnishing 
lodgings  and  provisions.  Ko  Thah-byu  had  made  "the 
teacher"  famous,  and  stood  as  his  interpreter  in  so  far 
as  his  imperfect  Burmese  discourse  required  interpre- 
tation. The  other  teacher,  performing  domestic  duty 
and  school  work  at  home,  was  a  good  obser^^er  of  the 
expedition,  as  was  apparent  in  after  years. 

Mrs.  Boardman  at  this  time.  May,  1829,  was  in  great 
need  of  some  expedient  for  improving  her  health. 
Though  it  "had  generally  been  good,"  in  the  hopeful 
phrase  of  missionaries  who  have  not  all  the  time  been 
ill,  3'et  her  strength  needed  to  be  recruited.  She  had 
labored  unceasingly,  and  it  was  so  far  impaired  that  she 
could  not  rally  without  a  change.  A  respite  and  a  trip 
to  Mergui,  about  two  days'  sail  southward,  was  resolved 
upon,  and  the  family  joined  in  the  voyage.  The  vessel 
encountered  adverse  winds,  and  was  eleven  daj^s  in 
reaching  its  destination,  but  this  detention  gave  them 
more  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  sea  air  and  sea  bathing 
for  which  they  had  gone.     Thej^  were  very  hospitably 


70  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

entertained  by  the  civil  magistrate  of  Mergui.  They 
returned  to  Tavoy  after  fourteen  days'  absence,  and 
found  that  the  schools,  entrusted  to  native  teachers, 
had  been  well  conducted,  and  that  the  Christians  were 
in  love  and  harmony. 

Still,  trials  of  an  afflictive  nature  soon  thickened 
upon  them.  Those  already  past  left  no  deep  scars,  nor 
did  they  weaken  their  faith  in  the  God  of  Missions  and 
the  Father  of  Mercies.;  and  as  fresh  ones  came,  with 
added  severity,  they  found  their  hearts  tempered  to 
bear  them.  And  yet,  O,  how  crushing !  Pastors  know 
how  disheartening  is  the  failure  of  converts  of  their 
ministry  to  fulfill  the  expectation  cherished  concerning 
them,  but  their  experience  is  only  slightl}^  painful 
compared  with  what  most  missionaries  suffer  from  a 
similar  cause.  With  the  latter,  a  convert  in  the  early 
period  was  a  trophy  of  years,  and  was  expected  to  show 
to  the  heathen  mind  the  superiority  of  the  Gospel  over 
the  heathen  systems,  as  also  to  be  a  much  needed 
auxiliary  in  mission  work ;  and  when  disappointment 
in  hopeful  cases  was  the  result,  the  heart  sank.  When 
Mr.  Boardman  came  in  from  his  journey,  to  be  con- 
fronted by  his  wife  with  the  heavy  tidings  of  defec- 
tion, or  "  public  and  disgraceful  sins,"  it  was  as  if  the 
dead  were  in  the  house.  But  this  was  incidental 
merely,  not  an  all-time  reality.  A  different  experience 
was  that  with  Ko  Thah-byu,  who  was  doubted  and  held 
back,  but  who  finally  triumphed  over  all  misgivings 
respecfting  him,  and  became  a  great  light  to  his  wild 
and  scattered  countrymen  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

Mrs.  Boardman  was  greatly  tried  at  times  in  her 
efibrts  to  establish  schools ;   girls'  day-schools  in  par- 


A   MEMORIAL.  71 

ticular,  which  "met  with  one  continued  series  of  oppo- 
sition and  discouragement."  But  she  finally  overcame 
prejudice  and  obtained  the  approbation  of  even  the 
higher  class  of  Hindoos.  She  secured  native  Tavoy 
females  as  teachers,  and  adopted  a  plan  b}'^  which  their 
pay  should  be  proportional  to  the  progress  of  the 
pupils.  Four  rupees  was  the  price  for  teaching  a  single 
girl  to  read.  She  was  quite  jubilant  over  her  success, 
but  those  defections  among  the  converts  were  very 
distressing,  and  in  common  with  Mr.  Boardman  she 
was  disposed  to  find  the  cause  in  themselves.  Her 
path  "  led  hard  by  the  borders  of  despair." 

In  connection  with  this  trial  came  losses  of 
property.  In  some  unexplained  way  they  suffered 
three  successive  losses  of  goods  and  necessaries  of  life 
by  shipwreck.  After  the  second,  some  "  Christian 
friend  "  had  the  goodness  to  suggest  to  them  the  pro- 
priety of  searching  their  hearts  and  conduct  to  see 
wherefore  God  had  thus  contended  with  them  !  That 
"miserable  comforter,"  who  has  his  duplicates  in  the 
world,  was  not  regarded  at  first,  but  when  the  third 
disaster  came,  they  began  to  think  that  God  was  dis- 
pleased with  them.  Mr.  Boardman  saj's :  "We  accord- 
ingly retrenched,  both  in  food  and  in  apparel.  We 
submitted  to  the  plainest  fare,  and  thought  ourselves 
happy  in  thus  having  it  in  our  power  to  do  more  by 
way  of  charit3\  But  the  health  of  Mrs.  Boardman  evi- 
dently declined,  and  with  it  that  of  her  nursing  child, 
so  that  she  was  obliged  to  resume  her  former  diet. 
During  all  this  time  we  were  filled  with  the  most  dis- 
tressing views  of  our  utter  sinfulness  in  the  sight  of  a 
holy  God."  The  cruelty  of  that  "Christian  friend" 
would  help  to  illustrate  a  Book  of  Martyrs. 


72  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

A  portentous  shadow  now  again  fell  upon  the  mis- 
sionary home.  Mr.  Boardman  was  attacked  with  an 
expectoration  of  blood,  more  copious  and  alarming 
than  before.  The  little  ones  in  Mrs.  Boardman's 
arms  became  unwell;  more  unwell.  The  scales  of 
life  did  not  indicate  truly.  The  "  plump  and  rosy- 
cheeked"  daughter,  in  spite  of  appearances,  paled 
before  the  Destroyer;  and  while  her  parents  hardly 
thought  of  losing  her,  they  found  on  the  third  day 
that  the  "  icy  arms  of  Death  had  embraced  her."  At 
the  interesting  age  of  two  and  a  half  years,  their  first- 
born, beautiful  and  engaging,  old  enough  to  prattle; 
yes,  to  speak  English  well,  and  to  talk  in  Burmese  like 
a  native,  was  removed  to  the  Father's  House  on  High, 
and  it  was  left  to  the  parents  to  observe  the  pro- 
prieties of  the  occasion  alone. 

In  recalling  the  circumstances  a  year  after  the 
event,  Mrs.  Boardman  wrote :  "  O,  wath  what  feelings 
did  I  wash  and  dress  her  lovely  form  for  the  last  time, 
and  compose  her  perfect  little  limbs,  and  then  see  her 
— the  dear  child  that  had  so  long  lain  in  my  bosom — ■ 
borne  away  to  her  newly  made  grave !  My  heart  grew 
faint  when  I  thought  that  I  had  performed  for  her 
my  last  office  of  love ;  that  she  w^ould  never  need  a 
mother's  hand  again.  My  dear  husband  performed  the 
funeral  vService  with  an  aching  though  not  desponding 
heart.  The  grave  is  in  our  own  inclosure,  about  fifteen 
rods  from  the  house — a  beautiful,  retired  spot  in  a 
grove  of  Gangau  trees.  Near  it  is  a  little  Bethel, 
erected  for  private  devotion.  Thither  we  have  often 
repaired ;  and  we  trust  that  God,  who  in  His  infinite 
wisdom  has  taken  our  treasure  to  himself,  often  meets 
us  there." 


A   MEMORIAI,.  73 

One  element  of  this  sore  trial  was  her  lack  of 
preparation  to  bear  it.  A  very  "  hght  affliction  "  is  too 
much  for  a  soul  that  has  been  weakened  by  the  in- 
fluence of  erroneous  views  of  Providence,  and  such 
was  her  condition  of  mind.  The  influence  had  been 
wrought  in  America,  through  "  the  speculative  conver- 
sations of  a  friend,"  and  much  strengthened  during  her 
residence  in  Calcutta ;  but  its  fruits  had  not  appeared 
to  others,  nor  had  it  affected  unfavorably  her  zeal  for 
perishing  souls.  Yet,  when  a  real  occasion  came  the 
test  proved  to  be  very  severe,  though  very  beneficial. 
Her  devout  heart  could  not  be  turned  away  from 
God,  and,  as  her  affliction  must  affe(5l  her  for  good  or 
for  ill,  the  only  result  to  be  expected  was  one  of  bless- 
ing. Her  eyes  were  opened,  and  in  her  prostrate  state 
she  could  not  do  otherwise  than  look  up.  She  ex- 
perienced an  increase  of  faith  and  trust,  and  ever  after- 
ward was  better  fitted  to  bear  her  trials. 


74  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 


VIII. 

^X^ptX^\<:^n— FURTHERANCE  OF  THE 
GOSPEL. 

Hide  thyself  as  it  were  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  in- 
dignation be  overpast. — Isa.  26 :  20. 

There's  nothing  dark  below,  above. 
But  in  its  gloom  I  trace  Thy  love, 
And  meekly  wait  that  moment  when 
Thy  touch  shall  turn  all  bright  again. 

Thomas  Moore. 

THE  missionaries  had  been  in  Tavoy  some  sixteen 
months,  suffering  such  loneliness  as  was  experi- 
enced by  Paul  in  the  city  of  Athens,  "  full  of  idols,"  and 
they  had  also  borne  the  heavy  hand  of  death  in  their 
home.  And  while  they  were  hoping  that  afai(5lion 
was  to  be  succeeded  by  some  visitation  of  blessing  on 
the  mission,  through  its  disciplinary  effedl  upon  them- 
selves, a  cloud  of  a  very  strange  nature  and  of  terrible 
portent  burst  upon  the  unsuspedling  city.  The  prov- 
ince of  Tavoy  had  engaged  in  open  revolt  against  the 
British  government,  to  which  it  had  been  ceded  by 
the  treaty  of  peace,  and  the  demonstrations  began  at 
the  hour  of  deepest  slumber — at  four  o'clock  on  Sun- 
day morning.  The  movement  was  first  observed  by  a 
lad  of  the  boarding  school,  who  soon  understood  its 
meaning  and  was  able  to  communicate  the  same  to  the 


A   MEMORIAL.  75 

members  of  the  household.  The  gathering  of  Tavoy- 
ans  near  by,  the  fierce  yeUing,  and  the  report  of  mus- 
ketry confirmed  the  lad's  declaration,  while  the  whist- 
ling of  balls  that  passed  over  their  heads  and  pene- 
trated their  frail  abode  told  unmistakably  that  danger 
to  them  was  in  the  air.  The  town  was  almost  entirely 
defenceless,  no  English  troops  being  stationed  there, 
and  only  about  one  hundred  Sepoys  (natives  in  the 
English  army)  being  in  occupation. 

Experience  with  the  Martaban  robbers  was  still 
fresh  in  mind,  and  Mr.  Boardman  at  first,  and  very  nat- 
urally, assumed  that  his  family  was  now  in  somewhat 
similar  peril.  He  flew  to  the  door,  armed  for  defence. 
He  also  hurried  Mrs.  Boardman  and  George  through 
a  back  door  to  a  retired  building  in  the  rear,  which  was 
open  on  the  least  exposed  side,  and  there  vShe  crouched 
on  the  floor  to  avoid  any  missiles  of  death  that  might 
fly  through  it.  He  then  took  position  in  the  house  to 
watch  movements  and  learn  the  danger. 

After  an  hour  of  the  greatest  uproar,  anxiety,  and 
uncertainty,  the  Sepoys  were  victorious  and  in  posses- 
sion of  the  city  gates.  A  guard  of  six  had  even  re- 
pulsed a  company  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  rebels,  and 
saved  the  powder  magazine  and  gun  shed,  both  of 
which  were  near  Mr.  Boardman 's  house.  Other  gangs 
were  committing  depredations  about  the  tow^n,  one  of 
which  fell  upon  the  prison  guard  and  released  all  the 
prisoners,  who  became  the  most  desperate  of  insur- 
gents. 

Major  Burney,  civil  and  military  executive  officer, 
was  at  Maulmain.  Not  suspecting  any  disturbance  he 
had  left  the  general  direction  of  affairs  with  a  young 


76  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

and  inexperienced  man,  with  Mrs.  Burney  as  adviser. 
Mrs.  Burney  proved  equal  to  the  situation,  in  respedl 
to  such  matters  as  it  was  possible  to  control.  She  was 
specially  regardful  of  the  missionaries,  and  invited 
them  to  occupy  a  part  of  the  government  house,  where, 
after  some  hesitation,  they  w^ent,  and  were  most  cor- 
dially received.  They  caught  up  such  light  articles  as 
they  could  readily  reach,  and,  with  the  native  Chris- 
tians, took  refuge  as  stated.  Mr.  Boardman  visited 
the  house  several  times  and  saved  a  few  clothes  and 
papers,  after  which  it  was  plundered ;  a  large  part  of 
the  books,  clothes,  and  furniture  being  stolen  or  de- 
stroyed. Such  a  loss  as  this,  dreadful  to  woman  any- 
where, was  quite  distressing  to  Mrs.  Boardman,  with  a 
puny  child  in  her  arms  and  no  opportunity  in  the 
country  for  replenishing  her  small  stock  of  comforts. 
But  she  was  by  no  means  done  with  this  kind  of  ex- 
perience. 

In  a  short  time  it  was  agreed  to  evacuate  the  town 
and  seek  refuge  at  the  wharf.  This  necessitated  a 
second  removal  by  the  Boardmans,  in  which  a  consid- 
erable part  of  the  scanty  supplies  they  had  before 
rescued  were  left  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  plun- 
derers. The  following  descriptive  extracft  imparts 
vividness  to  their  experience  in  moving: 

"  The  Chinese,  who  had  built  their  shops  wdthout 
the  town,  along  the  river-side,  constituted  a  party  of 
exclusives,  probably  fifty  in  number,  professing  neu- 
trality; still  they  hung  upon  the  skirts  of  the  Eng- 
lish in  a  manner  to  insure  present  safety  and  escape 
any  special  odium  if  the  insurrection  should  in  the 
end  prove  unsuccessful.      A  few  Portuguese  traders 


A   MEMORIAL.  77 

joined  the  foreign  party,  not  with  the  expectation  of 
rendering  any  assistance,  but  to  gain  protection  for 
themselves  and  families;  and  one  wily  old  Mussul- 
man, who  knew  enough  of  the  English  to  see  how 
the  affair  must  necessarily  terminate,  seized  gladly  on 
what  seemed  to  him  a  golden  opportunity,  and  lent 
his  aid  wherever  he  could  be  most  serviceable. 

"  This  singular  procession,  as  it  passed  beyond  the 
gate  of  the  city,  must  needs  have  won  a  smile  from 
an  anchorite.  The  dark  line  of  native  soldiers,  in 
their  Indian  uniform,  the  mulatto-faced  Portuguese,  the 
keen-eyed  Mussulman,  the  long  train  of  women  and 
children,  attached  to  the  Sepoys  and  others,  stripped 
of  the  ornaments  which  might  have  roused  the 
cupidity  of  the  enemy,  and  in  the  meanest,  filthiest 
apparel,  and  the  handful  of  English,  with  their  troop 
of  Burmese  and  Hindoo  servants,  constituted  a  sin- 
gularly motley  company.  But  Mrs.  Boardman,  as  she 
hurried  on  her  way,  now  startled  from  her  forced 
calmness  by  the  hideous  yells  of  the  insurgents,  or 
the  report  of  musketr}^  from  the  defenders  of  her 
own  party,  and  again  half-springing  from  her  path 
as  her  gaze  fell  upon  the  glazed,  staring  eyes  and 
bleeding  wounds  of  the  dead  heside  it,'  was  in  no 
condition  to  take  note  of  trivial  circumstances.  One 
apparition,  however,  excited  her  attention  even  then 
■ — the  figure  of  a  man,  the  very  personification  of 
Death,  as  he  often  comes  in  an  Indian  climate,  seat- 
ed on  a  led  horse,  at  the  head  of  the  small  detach- 
ment. It  was  the  English  commander,  who  had  been 
hurried  from  his  bed  to  escape  the  massacre ;  and  who 
hoped,  by  appearing  in  his  saddle  once  more  before 


78  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

his  men,  to  give  them  some  Httle  encouragement. 
But  his  face  was  thin  and  cadaverous,  his  complexion 
ahiiost  orange  in  hue,  and  his  eye  sunk  deeply  in  its 
socket;  and,  as  Mrs.  Boardman  looked  on  his  bent, 
skeleton  figure,  swaying  helplessly  to  every  motion 
of  the  animal  he  bestrode,  the  sight  added  a  kind 
of  indefinite  horror  to  her  impressions  of  their  immi- 
nent peril." 

They  were  now  housed,  barely,  in  a  large  wooden 
building  of  six  rooms  ;  somewhat  capacious,  it  might 
be  thought,  but  rather  limited,  it  will  be  seen,  when  it 
is  stated  that  within  its  walls  were  huddled  together 
Europeans,  all  the  Sepoys  with  their  baggage,  several 
hundreds  of  women  and  children  belonging  to  the 
Portuguese  and  others,  all  of  whom  looked  to  the 
English  for  prote(5lion.  Added  to  all,  and  as  a  rather 
dangerous  bed-fellow  for  all,  was  a  store  of  several 
hundred  barrels  of  gunpowder,  with  cannon.  The 
imagination  of  woman  is  not  slow  to  picture  the  peril 
of  such  a  situation.  What  if  some  one  were  skulking 
about  wnth  torch  in  hand !  Or,  a  scintillation  from  the 
sole  of  a  shoe  were  to  strike  the  explosive  material ! 

In  this  motley  company  of  three  hundred  to  four 
hundred,  and  amid  arms,  ammunition,  and  provisions, 
and,  it  may  be  added,  a  wreck  of  household  goods, 
there  were  only  two  ladies  —  Mrs.  Burney  and  Mrs. 
Boardman.  And  these  refined  women  sat  down  to 
nurse  their  wailing  infants,  that  of  the  former  being 
but  three  weeks  old,  and  to  cherish  their  fears  as  to 
the  future. 

Four  days  from  the  outbreak  had  now  passed, 
when,  on  the  morning  of  the   13th,  a  little  before  the 


A   MEMORIAL.  79 

break  of  day,  a  party  of  five  hundred  advanced  from 
the  town  upon  the  refugees  and  set  fire  to  several 
houses  and  vessels  near  the  wharf  But  the  Provi- 
dence that  by  a  breeze  turned  back  the  devouring 
flames  that  canie  down  from  the  mountain  and  almost 
to  the  mission  house,  on  one  occasion,  now  extin- 
guished the  fires  by  a  heavy  shower  of  rain,  and  en- 
abled the  Sepoys  to  repel  the  assailants.  On  the  same 
morning  the  Diana,  from  Maulmain,  steamed  into  port, 
bringing  Major  Burney,  to  the  joy  of  all.  He  had  not 
and  could  not  liave  heard  of  the  insurre(5lion,  and  he 
was,  therefore,  greatly  surprised,  on  approaching  the 
wharf,  by  what  he  witnessed.  With  great  alacrity  he 
prepared  for  a  vigorous  engagement  with  the  rebels. 
This  vessel  was  ordered  to  return  immediately  for  a 
reinforcement  of  troops,  and  the  Major  had  the  kind- 
ness to  furnish  a  passage  to  Mrs.  Boardman  and  fam- 
ily, to  accompany  his  own ;  Mr.  Boardman  remaining, 
in  hope  of  being  useful  as  interpreter  and  intercessor 
for  peace. 

The  Diana  slipped  away  with  those  weary  and  care- 
worn women  reposing  in  her  cabin,  but  not  without  a 
heavy,  though  harmless,  cannonading  from  the  city 
walls.  Where  those  balls  struck  or  fell  it  was  not 
known  ;  there  was  One  w^ho  had  them  under  control. 
And  those  excellent  ladies  had  learned  recent  lessons 
in  Divine  care,  enabling  them  to  realize  the  assurance 
given  in  the  Sacred  Word :  "  Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid 
for  the  terror  by  night,  nor  for  the  arrow  that  flieth  by 
day."  They  reached  their  destination  in  safety,  yet 
the  severe  strain  of  previous  days  and  nights,  which 
the  babes  must   have  shared,  was  enervating  to  all. 


8o  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

The  English  lady  very  soon  saw  her  child  close  its 
eyes  in  death,  while  the  other  lived  only  by  the 
greatest  care. 

Two  more  days  passed,  and  on  the  15th  it  was 
agreed  by  the  government  forces  to  make  an  attack 
on  the  town  and  thus  try  to  regain  possession.  By  a 
desperate  attempt  the  walls  were  scaled,  and  the  guns 
mounted  thereon  w^ere  thrown  down  and  conveyed 
away  to  the  wharf.  After  a  little  rest  a  second  attack 
was  made  and  the  prisoners  released;  and  very  soon 
the  city  was  evacuated  by  the  insurgents. 

On  the  following  morning,  the  Sabbath,  Mr.  Board- 
man,  with  the  conquering  party,  was  permitted  to  walk 
at  large.  But  what  desolation  everywhere  appeared ! 
It  was  a  victory,  with  heaps  of  ruins  as  trophies. 
What  could  not  be  carried  away  had  been  wantonly 
destroyed.  Mr.  Boardman's  house,  as  he  describes  the 
scene,  was  cut  to  pieces,  the  books  scattered,  torn,  and 
destroyed,  the  furniture  either  cut,  or  carried  off,  or 
broken  in  pieces,  and  the  house  itself  and  the  zayat 
converted  into  cook-houses  and  barracks.  He  and  his 
friends  spent  three  days  in  picking  up  the  fragments 
and  repairing  his  house.  Then,  on  the  20th,  he  took 
passage  on  the  Diana,  which  had  arrived  from  Maul- 
main  the  day  before  with  a  reinforcement  of  European 
soldiers,  and  went  to  join  his  family.  The  household 
and  boarding  school  were  scattered.  The  Karen  mem- 
bers of  the  little  church  were  mostly  back  in  the  jun- 
gles ;  one  was  with  Mrs.  Boardman,  one  with  him,  and 
one  was  left  to  guard  the  house. 

The  missionaries  were  now  free  frbm  tumult,  and 
they  profited  by  the  rest  that  their  enforced  cessation 


A   MEMORIAL.  8 1 

from  labor  gave  them.  Also  they  enjoyed  in  a  high 
degree  the  society  of  their  missionary  associates  labor- 
ing in  Maulmain  ;  a  privilege  they  had  not  had  for 
eighteen  months.  After  eight  or  ten  days  the  enthu- 
siastic and  intrepid  Boardman,  leaving  his  family,  re- 
turned to  Tavoy,  and  for  a  month  dwelt  among  the 
broken  homes  and  wrecks  of  property,  bringing  order 
out  of  chaos  that  work  might  again  proceed  in  the 
mission.  He  then  returns  to  Maulmain  to  bring  his 
family,  with  whom,  in  a  few  days,  he  embarks  again 
for  the  desolate  city. 

As  previously,  all  had  an  opportunity  for  revisiting 
Amherst  and  spending  a  thoughtful  hour  at  the  grave 
of  Mrs.  Judson,  and  holding  a  pleasant  interview  with 
the  few  native  Christians  still  living  there.  The  old 
mission  house  was  in  ruins,  and  Dead  w^as  the  proper 
inscription  for  everything.  Less  than  three  years  had 
passed  since  those  precious  remains  had  been  laid 
beneath  the  Hopia  tree,  and  it  is  not  strange  that  in 
the  slowness  of  the  period  the  grave  should  be  yet 
unmarked.  But  the  heart  of  Mr.  Boardman  was 
moved  to  mark  the  spot  in  a  permanent  w^ay,  and  he 
then  made  arrangements  for  the  erection  of  a  mound 
of  brick  upon  the  grave ;  a  circumstance  that  seems 
the  more  impressive  when  it  is  reflected  that  he  was 
almost  within  the  shadow^  of  a  similar  honor,  and  that 
Mrs.  Boardman,  standing  by,  heard  the  hollow  cough 
and  saw  the  fated  flush  upon  the  cheek,  the  sure  sign 
of  the  end.  Her  own  spirit  could  but  commune  with 
that  of  the  departed,  and  thus  confirm  the  memories 
that  made  heaVen  seem  so  near  and  so  dear. 

On  the  7th  of  October  (1829)  the  mission  family 


82  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

disembarked  at  Tavoy  and  assembled  once  more  at 
their  post  of  labor  in  the  town.  The  house  had  been 
rebuilt  and  arrangements  made  for  recommencing  the 
work.  The  war  had  scattered  the  disciples  and  broken 
up  the  schools,  but  when  it  w^as  known  that  the 
teachers  had  returned,  the  Karens  came  back  from 
the  jungles  to  which  they  had  fled,  only  too  glad  to 
get  into  their  company  and  enjoy  the  former  privi- 
leges. Those  who  had  asked  for  baptism  previous  to 
the  revolt  now  repeated  their  request,  not  having 
been  frightened  from  the  Cross  nor  having  lost  their 
interest.  The  school  immediately  became  larger  than 
ever  before ;  so  that  Mrs.  Boardman's  hands  were  not 
for  a  day  unoccupied. 

Mr.  Boardman  now  began  a  course  of  itinerary 
preaching,  "going  into  the  next  towns,"  like  the  Mas- 
ter, that  he  might  preach  there  also.  He  visited  three 
to  four  villages  each  week;  and  the  burden  of  this 
special  work  must,  of  course,  be  shared  by  the  wife 
at^  home.  With  the  care  of  her  family  and  of  the 
school  there  were  inquirers  occasionally,  whom  she 
led  forward  as  far  as  to  the  baptismal  waters.  Then, 
owing  to  the  death  of  Dr.  Price,  two  of  his  sons,  little 
boys,  had  come  to  be  cared  for,  by  request  of  the 
executor.  At  about  this  time  she  bore  another  son, 
making  her  family  proper  to  consist  of  four  boys ;  two 
of  them  her  own. 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  event  last  men- 
tioned her  health  had  been  declining,  and  this  decline 
continued,  awakening  the  most  serious  apprehension 
as  to  the  result.  All  mission  work  was  temporarily 
suspended  to  enable  Mr.  Boardman  to  give  his  time  to 


A    MKMORIAI,.  83 

her;  and  finally,  some  ten  days  after  the  suspension 
of  the  work,  the  crisis  was  passed  and  her  case  became 
quite  hopeful.  She  was  then  removed  from  town  to  a 
bungalow  (one-story  house)  at  the  sea-side,  about  ten 
miles  away,  where  she  enjoyed  the  sea  air  and  was 
much  impro\'ed. 

Early  in  the  year  1830  another  severe  experience 
came  to  Mrs.  Boardman ;  one  for  which,  however,  she 
had  been  slowly  prepared.  It  was  not  a  sudden,  unex- 
pected occurrence,  overwhelming  her  in  sorrow,  but  a 
confirming  of  conviction  as  to  sorrows  in  the  future, 
and  a  sure  prophecy  that  they  were  not  far  in  advance. 
When  death  gives  timely  evidence  of  its  approach  we 
learn  to  endure  its  coming ;  3'et  when  some  new  de- 
velopment of  a  disease  startles  us,  we  feel  it  as  a  new 
distress. 

From  the  time  the  Waterville  student  visited 
Salem,  there  must  have  been  apparent  in  his  face 
and  form  the  signs  of  early  physical  decline.  And 
yet  an  admiration  of  nobility  of  soul,  and  the  half- 
belief  that  intrepidit}^  will  compensate  for  physical 
weakness,  would  naturally  enchain  the  admirer.  All 
along  and  through  the  3'ears  succeeding  marriage, 
those  signs  kept  their  place,  intensifying  solicitude 
and  awakening  new  apprehension  continually.  Effort 
and  exposure  rendered  the  cough  and  voice  more 
hollow  and  added  depth  to  the  flush  on  the  cheek. 
The  3^ears  that  from  the  beginning  seemed  so  few 
were  now  almost  spent;  and  of  this  fact  none  was 
more  fully  conscious  than  was  she  who  had  most  to 
lose  At  the  close  of  the  year  1830  she  wTote :  "He 
has  been  unable  to  preach  the  last  five  months,  and 


84  SARAH    B.    JUDvSON, 

my  sad  heart  sinks  within  me  at  the  desolate  pros- 
pect before  me."  The  more  sad  was  his  decline  on 
account  of  the  increasing  prosperity  and  promise  of 
his  work.  In  the  same  letter  containing  the  above 
we  find  this  statement:  "The  voice  of  prayer  and 
praise  rises  sweetly  from  the  dwellers  on  the  deso- 
late mountains  of  Tavoy,  and  I  doubt  not  is  as  ac- 
ceptable to  God  as  the  incense  offered  in  the  churches 
of  dear  New  England.  Within  the  last  year  twenty- 
six  have  been  baptized,  making  in  all  thirty-one,  not 
including  Ko-Thah-byu." 

The  gracious  Providence  that  did  not  arrest  the 
adlion  of  law  in  disease,  found  a  way  of  mitigating  the 
ills  which  it  was  sure  to  bring  with  the  termination  of 
its  course.  Mr.  Boardman,  in  his  last  letter  to  relatives 
in  America,  remarked  that  it  "deserved  to  be  men- 
tioned "  that  his  "  fond,  too  fond  wife  "  had  not  been  so 
free  from  missionary  and  family  cares,  or  from  attacks 
of  illness,  as  during  the  three  months  of  his  own  se- 
vere sickness  just  preceding  his  waiting,  when  he  most 
needed  her  kind  and  soothing  attentions.  Besides,  the 
Board  had  sent  out  reinforcements  in  the  persons  of 
those  heroes  of  faith,  Kincaid  and  Mason,  and  their 
wives.  Mr.  Mason  reached  Tavoy  just  in  time  to 
accompany  him  in  that  last,  that  memorable  tour 
among  the  Karens,  in  which  he  witnessed  his  triumph- 
ant departure  to  Heaven,  and  received  his  mantle. 

Mr.  Boardman,  in  his  joy  and  gratitude,  made  ex- 
traordinary exertions  to  give  Mr.  Mason  a  cordial  wel- 
come to  the  field.  Being  unable  to  walk,  he  obtained 
conveyance  to  the  landing  in  a  chair ;  and  as  the  new 
recruit  looked  upon  the  death-marks  of  his  brother,  so 


A   MEMORIAL.  85 

clearly  discernible,  he  was  convinced  that  he  had  not 
come  a  moment  too  soon.  The  dying  man,  with  hi§ 
heart  set  upon  fulfilling  a  promise  to  make  another 
tour  of  visitation  among  the  Karen  villages,  was  not 
to  be  diverted  from  his  purpose.  He  was  encouraged 
by  his  physician,  and  by  the  affecftionate  regard  of  the 
Karens,  who  built  him  a  zayat  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain he  had  climbed  in  a  previous  visit,  and  who  came 
in  to  carry  him  out  to  it.  A  large  number  were  await- 
ing examination  and  baptism,  and  the  new  missionary 
was  pleased  with  the  prospect  of  aiding  in  the  work. 
Mrs.  Boardman,  at  first  expelling  to  remain  at  home, 
could  not  consent  to  be  separated  from  her  husband 
so  long  as  wifely  attentions  might  be  needed  or  might 
conduce  to  alleviate  his  illness. 

Their  youngest  child,  Judson  Wade,  had  died  five 
months  before  this  projected  visit,  aged  eight  months. 


86  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 


IX. 

^hc  ^nn^U— BAPTISMS,  bereavement. 

"  Where  Nature  sows,  herself, 
And  reaps  her  crops ;  whose  garments  are  the  clouds, 
Whose  minstrels,  brooks  ;  whose  lamps  the  moon  and  stars," 

"  O,  the  heart  that  has  truly  loved  never  forgets, 
But  as  truly  loves  on  to  the  close  ; 
As  the  sunflower  turns  to  her  god  when  he  sets 
The  same  look  which  she  turned  when  he  rose  !" 

THUS  the  little  company  was  formed  and  equipped 
for  the  march — invalid  and  carriers,  mother  and 
babe — with  guarded  premises  behind  and  perilous  jun- 
gles ahead.  Mr.  Boardman  was  carried  all  the  way  on 
a  cot-bed,  except  when  the  path  around  a  precipitous 
hill  w^as  too  narrow  for  two  to  walk  abreast,  and  Mrs. 
Boardman  was  conveyed  in  a  chair.  The  company 
reached  its  destination  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day, 
and  without  special  exhaustion,  even  to  the  invalid. 

Mrs.  Boardman,  a  ministering  angel  to  her  hus- 
band, observing  his  loss  of  strength  after  arrival,  be- 
sought him  to  return ;  but  without  avail.  With  great 
animation  he  said  :  "  The  cause  of  God  is  of  more 
importance  than  my  health,  and  if  I  return  now,  our 
whole  objedl  will  be  defeated.  I  want  to  see  the  work 
of  the  lyord  go  on."  She  speaks  thus  of  the  circum- 
stances:  "  The  place  was  central,  and  nearly  one  hun- 
dred persons  had  assembled,  more  than  half  of  them 


A   MEMORIAL.  87 

applicants  for  baptism.  O,  it  was  a  sight  calculated 
to  call  forth  the  liveliest  joy  of  which  human  nature 
is  susceptible,  and  made  me  for  a  moment  forget  my 
bitter  griefs — a  sight  far  surpassing  all  I  had  ever 
anticipated,  even  in  my  most  sanguine  hours.  The 
Karens  cooked,  ate,  and  slept  on  the  ground  by  the 
river-side,  with  no  other  shelter  than  the  leaves  of  the 
forest.  Three  years  ago  they  were  sunk  in  the  lowest 
depths  of  ignorance  and  superstition.  Now  the  glad 
tidings  of  mercy  had  reached  them,  and  they  were 
willing  to  live  in  the  open  air,  away  from  their  homes, 
for  the  sake  of  enjo3dng  the  privileges  of  the  Gospel." 

The  chapel  was  a  large,  open  one,  with  an  apart- 
ment, a  little  cell-like  room,  five  by  ten  feet,  for  Mr. 
Boardman  and  his  family.  It  was  poorly  inclosed, 
exposing  the  patient,  and  so  low  that  Mrs.  Boardman 
could  not  stand  upright  within  it.  Still  it  w^as  an 
abode  of  love  and  of  the  peace  that  passeth  all  un- 
derstanding. "  If  I  live  to  see  this  one  ingathering," 
said  Mr.  B.,  "  I  may  well  exclaim  with  happy  Simeon, 
'  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  serv^ant  depart  in  peace, 
according  to  thy  word,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy 
salvation ! '  " 

Distinct  evidence  of  the  near  approach  ol  death 
now  became  manifest,  not  only  to  the  friends  but  also 
to  Mr.  Boardman  himself,  as  he  looked  into  a  mirror, 
causing  him  to  say:  "I  have  altered  greatly;  I  am 
sinking  into  the  grave  very  fast — just  on  the  verge." 
It  was  quite  early  in  the  day  when  the  sad  revelation 
was  made,  and,  on  being  recognized  by  all,  it  cast  a 
shadow  upon  the  plans  of  the  meeting  and  brought  the 
conviction  that  they  must  be  changed  and  executed 


88  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

speedily,  and  an  immediate  return  be  made  to  Tavoy. 
Mr.  Boardman  acquiesced  in  the  opinion,  it  being 
agreed  that  the  females  and  old  men,  who  could  not 
very  conveniently  come  to  town,  should  have  the  first 
opportunity  for  examination  and  baptism.  Having 
reached  this  decision,  all  knelt,  and  Mr.  Mason  asked 
the  Divine  favor  upon  it,  and  then  with  sorrowful 
hearts  they  sat  down  to  their  frugal  breakfast.  While 
at  the  table  Mr.  Boardman  spoke  confidingly  of  Him 
with  whom  he  was  soon  to  be,  and  compassionately  of 
her  who  would  then  be  in  the  loneliness  of  widow- 
hood. 

A  little  before  sunset,  gladdened  saints  of  both 
hemispheres,  laborers  and  their  disciples,  assembled  at 
the  water  side,  and  there  found  the  same  lyord  over  all 
rich  unto  all.  Mr.  Boardman  was  carried  to  the  place, 
"  though  so  weak  that  he  could  scarcely  breathe  with- 
out the  continual  use  of  the  fan  and  the  smelling-bot- 
tle." He  lifted  his  languid  head  to  look  upon  the 
baptismal  scene,  and  the  joyful  sight  was  almost  too 
much  for  his  feeble  frame.  At  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Mason  thirty-four  converted  heathen  received  the  or- 
dinance, having  given  satisfactory  evidence  that  they 
had  passed  from  death  unto  life,  while  as  many  more, 
perhaps,  standing  by,  cherished  the  hope  of  being  ad- 
mitted to  the  same  blessed  privilege.  How  beautiful 
upon  the  mountain  were  the  feet  of  him  who  brought 
the  good  tidings,  and  how  careful  of  him  now  were 
those  who  heard  them  from  his  lips  !  Once  subject  to 
bondage  and  wanton  cruelties  from  the  Burmans,  how 
must  not  the  liberated  Karens,  free  in  Christ,  have  re- 
joiced in  the  charity  that  is  kind  and  in  the  hope  which 


A    MEMORIAIv.  89 

is  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul !  The  solitary  place  was 
glad  for  them,  and  reverberated  with  songs  unheard 
there  before,  while  the  setting  sun  had  a  parting  view 
of  a  work  that  added  to  the  promised  inheritance  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  and  awakened  joy  in  heaven. 

On  returning  to  the  "chapel  Mr.  Boardman,  at  his 
request,  took  tea  with  the  family,  having  been  bol- 
stered on  his  cot  near  the  table.  He  once  more  asked 
the  blessing,  with  his  right  hand  upraised,  and  in  a 
manner  that  struck  Mrs.  Boardman  to  the  heart,  as  she 
testified  :  "  It  was  the  same  tremulous,  yet  urgent,  and, 
I  had  almost  said,  unearthly  voice,  with  which  my  aged 
grandfather  used  to  pra}-.  We  now  began  to  notice 
that  brightening  of  the  mental  faculties  which  I  had 
heard  spoken  of  in  persons  near  their  end." 

After  tea  was  removed  Mrs.  Boardman  busied  her- 
self with  preparing  for  his  comfort  during  the  night, 
and  meanwhile  he  made  a  touching  farewell  address  of 
counsel  to  the  disciples  who,  to  the  number  of  about 
fifty,  had  gathered  about  him;  following  the  address 
with  a  short  pra3'er  and  the  distribution  of  trails  and 
portions  of  Scripture.  The  next  morning,  early,  the 
return  trip  was  begun  ;  the  little  company  being  rein- 
forced by  all  the  males  and  some  of  the  females,  the 
remainder  returning  to  their  homes  in  the  wilderness. 
The  tabernacle  and  the  shechinah  enjoyed  in  this 
lonely  jungle  were  not  more  grateful  to  the  heart  than 
was  this  affecftionate  following  of  the  new  converts, 
so  anxious  to  bestow  their  ser^dces  upon  those  who 
had  brought  to  them  the  good  tidings. 

The  march  and  the  day  to  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  were  without  incident  or  unfavorable  change 


90  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

in  the  patient,  and  then  a  violent  thunder  storm  oc- 
curred. No  house  being  in  sight  they  were  exposed  to 
the  merciless  rain,  with  only  mats,  blankets  and  um- 
brellas with  which  to  shelter  the  sick  man,  all  of  which 
were  ineffe(ftual,  while  the  pitying  wife,  reserving  no 
pity  for  herself,  was  compelled  to  see  his  couch  com- 
pletely drenched.  Hastening  on  they  soon  reached  a 
Tavoy  abode,  but  being  refused  admittance  they  ran 
for  shelter  into  the  outhouses,  Mrs.  Boardman  happen- 
ning  to  take  refuge  in  a  shed  that  proved  to  be  "the 
house  of  the  gods,"  and  thus  committing  a  great  of- 
fense. She  plead  with  tears  for  a  place  within  doors 
for  her  sick  husband,  but  with  no  other  result  than 
permission  to  occupy  the  veranda.  The  missionary, 
as  the  inmates  knew,  taught  a  foreign  religion,  and  the 
Karens  in  company  had  embraced  it,  and  hence  the 
hostility  toward  them. 

The  httle  mission  family  thus  improved  their  only 
opportunity  and  tried  to  compose  themselves  on  the 
bamboo  floor  of  the  veranda,  which  was  so  open  as  to 
make  lodging  dangerous.  Mrs.  Boardman  found  a  safe 
place  for  the  little  boy  and  then  threw  herself  down 
beside  her  husband,  where  in  sleepless  anxiety  she 
watched  and  waited  for  the  morning.  She  spoke  with 
him  often  during  the  night,  and  frequently  applied  cold 
water  to  relieve  him  of  an  uncomfortable  feeling  in  his 
mouth  and  throat,  his  only  cause  of  complaint.  His 
heart  overflowed  with  gratitude  to  God,  instead  of 
murmurings  at  his  situation,  and  also  to  her  who  so 
tenderly  cared  for  him.  He  expressed  his  feelings  at 
the  time  in  such  terms  as  the  following:  "I  suff"er 
nothing,  nothing  to  what  you,  my  dear  Sarah,  had  to 


MEMORIAI,.  9t 

endure  last  year,  when  I  thought  I  must  lose  you. 
And  then  I  have  you  to  move  me  so  tenderly.  I 
should  have  sunk  into  the  grave  ere  this,  but  for 
your  assiduous  attention." 

In  the  morning  he  seemed  to  be  a  little  better, 
though  his  breath  was  very  short.  At  nine  o'clock 
his  feet  and  hands  grew  cold,  and  the  affecftionate  Ka- 
rens rubbed  them  tenderly  for  hours.  When  appear- 
ing specially  distressed,  and  about  to  depart,  he  ex- 
plained by  saying  that  since  his  wdfe,  two  days  previ- 
ous, had  most  earnestly  besought  him  to  pray  for  their 
little  son,  he  had  prayed  for  him  almost  incessantly — 
more  than  in  all  his  life  before. 

As  the  hour  of  twelve  drew  near,  the  time  an- 
nounced for  the  departure  of  a  boat  by  which  they 
could  go  the  greater  part  of  the  way  homeward,  they 
were  reludlant  to  remove  the  sick  man,  who  seemed  to 
be  quite  on  the  verge  of  heaven.  But  the  wretched 
Tavoyan,  in  no  proper  sense  their  host,  made  them  feel 
that  they  had  no  right  to  consider  themselves  his 
guests.  He  falsified  to  Mrs.  Boardman  when  asked 
for  a  fowl  from  which  to  make  some  broth  for  the  d}^- 
ing  man,  saying  he  had  none,  while  at  the  very  mo- 
ment she  saw  three  or  four  under  the  house,  through 
an  opening  in  the  floor.  "My  heart,"  she  says," was 
well-nigh  breaking."  How  feebly  the  poor  heathen 
realized  the  effect  of  such  unkindness !  And  how 
little  he  cared  ! 

Finally  the  sorrowful  little  procession  moved  toward 
the  river.  The  muddiness  of  the  shore  rendered  access 
to  the  boat  difficult,  and  the  Karens  first  carried  Mr. 
Boardman  aboard  and  then,  returning,  performed  the 


92  SARAH   B.   JUDSON. 

same  kind  pffice  for  Mrs.  Boardman,  who  was  taken  im- 
mediately to  him.  Only  a  few  steps  intervened  between 
the  house  and  the  boat,  yet  before  they  could  be  taken 
the  Pallid  Hand  was  placed  upon  the  sufferer.  The 
hour  of  parting  had  come,  and  he  barely  had  time  to 
look  again  into  the  face  that  had  charmed  him  in  his 
youth  and  cheered  him  in  his  toil  and  trials.  First  a 
look,  then  a  stare — "his  eyes  changed;  not  dimmed, 
but  brightened."  Once  more  the  word  was  spoken, 
the  kiss  offered,  but  recognition  was  not  returned. 
The  hand  was  pressed,  with  no  responsive  pressure 
as  at  other  times.  Love  grew  intense  as  its  last  op- 
portunity was  closing,  but  the  object  was  insensible  to 
it.  "  The  faithful  Karens,  who  loved  him  so  much  and 
whom  he  had  loved  unto  death,  by  previous  request 
were  called  to  watch  his  last  gentle  breathings,  for 
there  was  no  struggle."  It  was  death ! — death  in 
the  jungle,  yet  death  in  Christ.  The  bark  and  stream 
were  the  emblems  of  closing  life ;  his  work  done,  his 
face  homeward.  And  he  loved  not  his  life  even  unto 
the  death. 

It  was  a  gloomy  place  for  the  first  experience  of 
widowhood;  yet  it  was  measurably  relieved  by  the 
sympathetic  tears  and  prayers  of  Mr.  Mason  and  the 
sorrowing  Karens.  Slowly  and  silently  the  little  craft 
left  its  moorings  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to  a 
point  within  three  miles  of  Mrs.  Boardman's  home, 
where  the  company  landed.  The  Karens  bore  the 
remains  the  rest  of  the  way.  The  mournful  intelli- 
gence had  already  reached  the  town,  and  Moung  Ing, 
so  well  remembered  for  his  fidelity  to  Mrs.  Ann  H. 
Judson,  came  out,  and,  on  seeing  them,  burst  into  a 


A   MEMORIAL.  93 

flood  of  tears.  lyikewise  came  the  two  Christian  sisters 
who  had  been  Hving  at  Mr.  Boardman's.  Every  meet- 
ing suggested  anew  the  painfulness  of  the  circum- 
stances, while  the  height  of  anguish  was  reached  on 
arriving  at  the  home  and  laying  out  the  corpse.  "  They 
took  him  into  the  sleeping  room,"  wrote  Mrs.  Board- 
man,  "and  when  I  uncovered  his  face,  for  a  few  mo- 
ments nothing  was  heard  but  reiterated  sobs.  He  had 
not  altered — the  same  sweet  smile,  with  which  he  was 
wont  to  welcome  me,  sat  on  his  countenance.  His 
eyes  had  opened  in  bringing  him,  and  all  present 
seemed  expecting  to  hear  his  voice ;  when  the  thought 
that  it  was  silent  forever  rushed  upon  us,  and  filled 
us  with  anguish,  sudden  and  unutterable.  There  were 
the  Burman  Christians,  who  had  listened  so  long,  with 
edification  and  delight,  to  his  preaching — there  we"e 
the  Karens,  who  looked  to  him  as  their  guide,  their 
earthly  all — there  w^ere  the  scholars  whom  he  had 
taught  the  way  to  heaven,  and  the  Christian  sisters, 
whose  privilege  it  had  been  to  wash,  as  it  were,  his 
feet." 

The  next  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  Februarv-  r2,  1831, 
the  funeral  occurred,  attended  by  all  the  European 
gentlemen  and  ofiicers  of  the  station,  and  by  many 
natives.  He  was  buried  on  the  mission  premises,  by 
the  side  of  his  first  born.  Age,  thirty  years.  "  His 
epitaph  is  written  in  the  adjoinijig  forests^ — (From 
the  tomb  at  Tavoy.) 

Were  a  star  quenched  on  high, 
^  For  ages  would  its  light 

Stream  downward  from  the  sky 
Upon  our  mortal  sight. 


94  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

So,  when  a  great  man  dies, 

For  years  beyond  our  ken 
The  light  he  leaves  behind  him  lies 

Upon  the  paths  of  men. 

Longfellow. 

The  sorrowful  scenes  just  described  seem  the  more 
sad  as  we  listen  to  the  chief  mourner,  in  the  following 
pathetic  lines,  written  at  a  romantic  place  on  the  sea 
shore  which  she  had  often  visited  with  the  deceased : 

"  The  moon  throws  her  bright  and  glistening  ray 
On  ocean's  heaving  breast ; 
And  with  her  light  is  the  landscape  gay— 
But  to  me  'tis  in  sable  dressed. 

"  For  the  eye  is  dim,  and  the  voice  is  hushed, 
That  with  me  admired  the  scene  ; 
And  present  enjoyments  all  are  crushed 
'Neath  the  tread  of  those  that  have  been. 

"  The  ocean  rolls  on  in  sullen  pride. 
As  for  ages  past  he  has  done ; 
But  my  guide  over  life's  more  fearful  tide, 
The  friend  of  my  youth,  is  gone. 

'*  The  tree  to  which  the  frail  creeper  clung. 
Still  lifts  its  stately  head ; 
But  he  on  whom  my  spirit  hung 
Is  sleeping  with  the  dead. 

"  The  evening  star  sheds  her  silvery  light. 
Bright  orbs  in  their  beauty  roll ; 
But  to  me  'tis  a  dark  and  dreary  night, 
For  quenched  is  the  star  of  my  soul. 

"  'Tis  long  since  they  bore  thee  away  from  me, 

And  laid  thee  low  in  the  grave  ;  , 

But  could  I  forget  thee,  my  soul  would  be 
Ivike  the  rock  that  repels  the  wave. 


A   MEMORIAI,.  95 

"  And  oh,  thou  departed  and  sainted  one, 
In  thy  robes  of  glory  clad, 
Dost  thou  e'er  from  thy  bright  abode  look  down 
On  me,  deserted  and  sad  ? 

**  Oh,  thine  is  indeed  a  bright  abode ! 
And  brilliant  thy  diadem — 
The  crown  of  life  from  the  hand  of  God, 
Adorned  with  many  a  gem. 

"  For  thou  didst  bear  the  gospel  light 
To  the  heathen  world  afar ; 
And  the  darkness  of  their  moral  night 
Gave  way  to  the  Morning  Star." 

Rev.  H.  Morrow,  a  missionary  at  Tavoy,  wrote  the 
author  (February  28,  1889)  just  before  returning  to 
his  field,  as  follows  : 

"  We  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  one  of  the  thir- 
ty-four baptized  by  Mr.  Mason,  with  the  dying  Board- 
man  as  a  deeply  interested  spectator.  She  was  an 
earnest  Christian,  much  interested  in  the  cause  of 
Christ,  particularh'  in  reference  to  the  spirituality  of 
the  members  of  the  church.  She  w^as  called  to  rest 
in  1882;  the  last  of  the  band.  She  loved  to  tell  of 
the  early  struggles,  and  also  joys  of  those  of  her 
people  who  first  owned  Christ. 

"  I  had  the  privilege  a  few  years  ago  to  superintend 
the  building  of  a  brick  wall  around  the  little  cemetery 
in  Tavoy,  where  the  remains  of  Mr.  Boardman  were 
laid,  and  to  put  up  a  monument  over  the  grave.  It  is 
of  red  granite,  and  consists  of  two  square  blocks  and  a 
shaft  on  a  lower  base  of  common  American  granite ; 
the  whole  about  twelve  feet  in  height.     It  was  sent 


96  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

out    b}^    Dr.    G.   D.   Boardman.     The   inscription    on 
one  side  is : 


SACRED  TO  THE   MEMORY  OF 

GEORGE   DANA   BOARDMAN, 

American  Missionary  to  Burmah. 

BORN,  FEB.  8,  i8oi.  Died,  Feb.  h,  1831. 

His  epitaph  is  written  in  the  adjoining  forests. 


On  another  side 


Ask  in  the  Christian  villages  of  yonder 
mountains— Who  taught  you  to  abandon  the 
worship  of  demons  ?  Who  raised  you  from 
vice  to  morality?  Who  brought  you  your 
Bibles,  your  Sabbaths,  and  your  words  of 
prayer  ?    I^et  the  reply  be  his  eulogy. 


A   MEMORIAI,.  97 

X. 

gif^  ^netV—TH/i:  MODEL   TEACHER. 

Hearts  of  love  and  souls  of  daring,  in  the  world's  high  field 
of  action — 

Ye  who  cherish  God's  commandments,  bending  not  to  rank 
or  faction  ; 

Ye  whose  lives  in  slothful  pleasure  never  sink  or  idly  stag- 
nate, 

Ye  who  wield   the  scales   of  justice,  weighing  peasant   man 
with  magnate — 

Lo!   the  Voice  of  Benediction  falls  upon  you  from  on  high: 

Ye  are  chosen — ye  are  missioned — ye  are  watched  by  Heav- 
en's eye! 

Augustine  Duganne. 

A  YOUNG  widow  in  a  land  of  heathen  darkness, 
with  a  helpless  child  clinging  to  her,  and  the 
deep  sea  rolling  between  her  and  all  her  kindred,  w^as 
a  spectacle  to  excite  the  sympathy  of  angels.  It  w^ould 
naturally  add  to  the  poignancy  of  her  grief  to  reflect 
that  not  a  soul  beyond  the  waters  knew^  of  her  loss 
or  could  know  of  it  for  months;  hence,  the  con- 
sciousness of  sympathy  from  the  absent,  so  grateful 
to  the  heart,  could  not  be  enjoj^ed  as  even  a  slight 
relief  to  her  sufferings.  And  when,  after  some  da^'S, 
the  full  sense  of  widowhood  should  come  upon  her, 
how  crushing  its  weight ! 

In   the   case   of    a   missionary's   death,    leaving    a 
circle  of  beginners  in  Christian  knowledge  to  gather 


98  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

about  the  home  of  the  "teacher"  for  their  wonted 
lessons,  how  tender  the  pity  and  how  heavy  the  felt 
responsibility  of  her  who  occupies  the  place  alone ! 
Mrs.  Boardman  had  taught  much,  and  many  of  the 
pupils  about  the  mission  were  hers  as  well  as  her 
husband's ;  yet  the  yoke  and  burden  of  two  was  heavy 
for  a  woman  to  bear.  Mr.  Mason  had  but  just  arrived 
and,  presumably,  could  do  nothing  without  her  assist- 
tance ;  in  fact,  he  also  must  be  taught  by  her.  With 
such  a  company  at  her  feet,  paying  deference  to  her 
superior  knowledge  and  character,  and  with  her  little 
son  drawing  upon  her  time  and  sympathies,  how  was 
she  to  become  equal  to  the  situation? 

Then  there  were  motives  to  a  return  to  her  native 
land;  such  as  would  in  the  majority  of  similar  cases 
outweigh  all  others.  Whether  alone  in  her  counsels, 
or  advised  by  others,  there  scarcely  could  be  but  one 
decision,  in  that  day,  unless  motives  higher  than 
human  gained  control.  The  strain  of  mind  conse- 
quent upon  conflicting  feelings  is  clearly  seen  in  a 
note  to  a  missionary  friend,  in  which  she  says:  "I 
have  been  trying,  with  fasting  and  prayers  and  tears, 
to  inquire  what  my  duty  is  about  going  home  with 
little  George.  I  feel  conscious  of  the  weakness  of  my 
own  judgment,  and  am  about  writing  to  Maulmain, 
Rangoon  and  Mergui,  to  ask  the  advice  of  my  breth- 
ren and  sisters." 

Letters  of  advice  when  asked  for  are  quite  likely 
to  be  written  under  constraint,  and  to  leave  the  seeker 
still  in  perplexity;  but  when  one  comes  unbidden,  and 
from  a  heart  similarly  stricken,  its  personal,  sj^mpa- 
thetic  tone  imparts  to  it  great  force.     Such  a  letter 


A    MEMORIAL.  99 

was  sent  to  Mrs.  Boardman  ere  any  one  of  doubtful 
import  reached  her,  and  before  any  prompted  by  purely 
personal  affection  came  from  America.  It  is  probable, 
therefore,  that  she  was  influenced  only  by  the  one 
mentioned,  if  indeed  anybody's  judgment  was  allowed 
to  afifect  her  mind.  Her  true,  loving  heart  expressed 
itself  in  the  following  communication  : 

"  When  I  first  stood  by  the  grave  of  my  husband 
I  thought  that  I  must  go  home  with  George.  But 
these  poor,  inquiring,  and  Christian  Karens,  and  the 
school-boys,  and  the  Burmese  Christians  would  then 
be  left  without  any  one  to  instruct  them ;  and  the  poor, 
stupid  Tavoyans  would  go  on  in  the  road  to  death, 
with  no  one  to  warn  them  of  their  danger.  How  then, 
oh !  how  can  I  go  ?  We  shall  not  be  separated  long. 
A  few  more  years  and  we  shall  all  meet  in  yonder 
blissful  world,  whither  those  we  love  have  gone  before 
us.  I  feel  thankful  that  I  was  allowed  to  come  to  this 
heathen  land.  Oh !  it  is  a  precious  privilege  to  tell 
idolaters  of  the  Gospel;  and  when  we  see  them  dis- 
posed to  love  the  Savior,  we  forget  all  our  privations 
and  dangers.  My  beloved  husband  w^ore  out  his  life 
in  this  glorious  cause;  and  that  remembrance  makes 
me  more  than  ever  attached  to  the  work,  and  the 
people  for  whose  salvation  he  labored  till  death." 

Her  biographer  makes  the  following  obser^^ations 
on  her  situation  at  this  time:  "For  three  years  previ- 
ous to  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Boardman  had 
been  almost  constantly  ill ;  and  this,  together  with  the 
illness  of  her  family,  by  which  her  cares  were  greatly 
increased,  prevented  her  engaging  but  slightly  in  mis- 
sionary  labor.      Beside,   the   station   had   been   twice 


lOO  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

broken  up,  and  all  operations  suspended;  and  this 
was  ruinous  to  the  prospects  of  the  few  schools  she 
had  succeeded  in  establishing.  Sometimes  she  con- 
versed a  little  with  visitors;  but  her  husband  was 
better  qualified  for  the  task,  and  he  was  free  from 
the  small,  necessary  cares  which,  in  Burmah,  triple 
the  weight  of  a  woman's  usual  domestic  duties.  She 
had  made  an  effort  to  establish  daj^-schools ;  and  these 
had,  at  times,  been  prosperous,  though  at  other  times 
they  were  entirel}^  broken  up.  She  had  also  kept  the 
boys'  boarding-school  in  existence — bare  existence; 
for  at  the  time  of  her  husband's  death  it  was  very 
small  indeed.  But  when  she  was  left  alone,  with  the 
wild,  simple  mountaineers  flocking  about  her,  and 
looking  to  her  lips  for  the  words  which  were  to  reno- 
vate their  natures;  when  she  turned  to  the  Tavoyans, 
and  considered  that  even  among  them,  impudent  and 
reckless  as  they  were  in  their  ignorance,  might  lie, 
unrecognized,  some  beautiful  stone,  to  be  cut  and  pol- 
ished for  the  temple  of  the  Eternal — when  she  looked 
about  her,  and  thought  of  all  these  things,  she  began, 
more  than  ever,  to  feel  and 

'  Know  how  sublime  a  thing  it  is 
To  suffer  and  be  strong.'" 

Thus  far  nothing  has  appeared  in  the  experience 
of  Mrs.  Boardman  to  show  a  lack  of  moral  courage; 
though  from  the  very  formation  of  a  purpose  to  be 
a  missionary  her  course  had  been  a  constant  succes- 
sion of  struggles,  requiring  the  very  best  elements  of 
womanhood  in  her  who  would  go  through  them  suc- 
cessfully. In*  every  instance  she  has  manifested  a  fine 
type  of  womanliness  as  well  as  of  consecration. 


A   MEMORIAL.  lOi 

Now  that  a  new  condition  of  things  has  come  to 
pass  she  has  no  lack  of  heart  or  of  mind,  but  only 
needs  a  renewed  girding  of  soul  for  increased  respon- 
sibilities in  the  old  paths.  The  change  is  in  her 
home,  not  in  her  work.  Her  bereavement  must  be 
borne  and  the  work  performed;  a  redoubled  work, 
however,  and  to  be  carried  on  with  a  heart  more  heavy 
than  it  had  ever  been  made  by  other  afflictive  cir- 
cumstances. Possibly  her  new  affliction  aided  her  to 
submit  the  more  readily  to  be  the  willing  servant  of 
the  heathen  for  Christ's  sake,  yet  the  cost  was  not 
less  heavy  nor  the  work  less  arduous  on  this  account. 

The  presence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  was  doubt- 
less some  relief  to  her;  still  their  inexperience  as  mis- 
sionaries left  them  unqualified  to  assume  any  part  of 
her  work.  And  as  they  became  qualified*  the  field 
stretched  away  before  them  in  such  wideness  that  they 
could  not  share  her  duties,  but  must  add  to  the  mis- 
sion all  the  strain  it  would  bear.  Mr.  Mason  under- 
took the  same  kind  of  service  that  Mr.  Boardman 
had  performed,  while  she  pursued  the  work  he  left  at 
death,  to  the  best  of  her  ability,  that  it  might  not  fail 
of  its  proper  fruits  by  being  unfinished,  and  because 
it  seemed  so  full  of  promise. 

Need  the  reader  be  assured  that  Mrs.  Boardman 
was  now  a  busy  woman?  She  sa3^s  that  "every  mo- 
ment of  time  is  occupied,  from  sunrise  till  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening."  With  her  family  cares  and  the  re- 
organized schools  on  her  hands,  it  must  have  been 
true  that,  with  the  addition  of  her  husband's  labors, 
"such  a  mantle  as  his,  so  heavy  with  important  duties, 
seldom  weighs  upon  the  shoulders  of  a  woman."    The 


I02  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

Karens  began  to  come  to  her  in  companies.  They 
were  so  distressed  by  the  death  of  their  teacher  that 
when  mentioning  him  they  would  turn  away  their 
faces  and  weep.  But  having  unbounded  confidence 
in  her  abihty  to  benefit  them,  they  came  as  aforetime, 
and  in  increasing  numbers ;  and  it  seems  evident  that 
she  taught  them  in  word  and  doctrine,  as  a  preacher 
would  have  done. 

A  year  passes,  from  the  loss  of  her  husband,  and 
Mrs.  Boardman  is  fully  established  in  her  single- 
handed  work.  She  has  learned  to  adapt  herself  to 
her  circumstances  and  to  perform  the  duties  assigned 
her  by  Divine  Providence;  and  the  favor  of  Heaven 
is  bestowed  upon  her  efforts.  The  little  church  has 
grown,  and  its  membership  is  considerably  more  than 
one  hundred.  It  is  composed  mostly  of  Karens,  living 
at  a  great  "^ distance,  who,  by  their  frequent  coming, 
fording  swollen  streams,  "over  almost  impassable 
mountains,  and  through  deserts,  the  haunt  of  the  ti- 
ger, evince  a  love  for  the  Gospel  seldom  surpassed." 
Such  progress  and  such  attachment  to  the  cause  were 
truly  gratifying  in  that  day  of  small  things. 

Her  schools  have  prospered  greatly.  From  a  be- 
ginning of  five  scholars,  her  home  school,  under  the 
care  of  a  Tavoy  woman,  and  others  established  later, 
have  attained  to  a  membership  of  eighty.  "  These, 
with  the  boarding-schools,  two  village  schools,  and 
about  fifty  persons  who  learn  during  the  rainy  season 
in  the  Karen  jungle,  make  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  under  the  instruction  of  the  mission." 
Those  in  the  jungle  cannot  come  often  to  the  town, 
but  a  great  many  come  to  be  examined  in  their  les- 


A   MEMORIAI,.  103 

sons,  and  they  surprise  and  delight  their  teachers  by 
the  progress  they  make. 

Mrs.  Boardman  continued  to  establish  schools  until 
she  had  more  on  her  hands  than  she  could  manage. 
She  says :  "  The  superintendence  of  the  food  and  cloth- 
ing of  both  the  boarding-schools,  with  the  care  of  five 
day-schools,  under  native  teachers,  devolves  wholly  on 
me.  My  day-schools  are  growing  every  week  more 
and  more  interesting.  We  cannot,  it  is  true,  expect 
to  see  among  them  such  progress,  especially  in  Chris- 
tianity, as  our  boarders  make ;  but  they  are  constantly 
gaining  religious  knowledge,  and  will  grow  up  with 
comparatively  correct  ideas.  They,  with  their  teach- 
ers, attend  worship  regularly  on  Lord's  Day." 

The  East  India  Company  was  in  favor  of  general 
instrucftion,  and  appropriated  funds  to  secure  it.  But, 
as  is  well  known,  it  had  agreed  to  protecft  the  existing 
religions  of  the  country,  and  therefore  could  not  coun- 
tenance the  inculcation  of  Christian  truths  in  its 
schools.  Mrs.  Boardman  had  a  number  of  its  schools 
under  her  management,  and,  without  realizing  that 
she  was  violating  the  rules  of  the  Company,  was  care- 
fully and  modestly  giving  religious  instruction  and 
securing  a  considerable  following.  The  Government 
felt  compelled  to  notice  the  facts,  though  manifestly 
reluctant  to  interfere  with  the  good  work  she  was  do- 
ing. She  was  conscientious  and  was  the  first  to  intro- 
duce the  matter  to  the  authorities.  A  correspondence 
arose  between  herself  and  the  Commissioner,  in  which 
she  sought,  in  a  most  dignified  and  lady-like  manner, 
to  convince  him  that  while  it  was  desirable  for  the  ris- 
ing generation  of  the  Province  to  become  acquainted 


104  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

with  useful  science,  and  the  male  part  of  the  popula- 
tion with  the  English  language,  "it  is  infinitely  more 
important  that  they  receive  into  their  hearts  our  holy 
religion,  which  is  the  source  of  so  much  happiness  in 
this  state,  and  imparts  the  hope  of  a  glorious  immor- 
tality in  the  world  to  come."  She  frankly  assured  him 
that  there  was  danger  that  children  in  her  schools 
would  forsake  the  religion  of  their  ancestors;  a  fact 
of  which  parents  and  priests  must  have  been  aware. 
The  pupils  who  had  already  been  converted  were  like- 
ly to  hasten  the  issue  by  their  example  and  teaching. 
To  avert  the  peril  was  no  part  of  her  desire  or  efforts. 
After  making  such  an  ingenuous  representation  of 
the  case,  she  showed  the  defectiveness  of  heathen  sys- 
tems, and  declared  that  should  she  neglect  to  set  be- 
fore them  brighter  hopes  and  purer  principles,  she 
should  at  last  "suffer  the  overwhelming  conviction  of 
having  lived  in  vain."  Then,  with  a  rare  combination 
of  firmness  and  humility,  she  declines  longer  to  re- 
ceive Government  patronage,  and  proposes  to  cast 
herself  on  the  hands  of  such  as  "would  wish  the  chil- 
dren to  be  taught  the  principles  of  the  Christian 
faith."  She  says:  "  With  this  view  of  things  you  will 
not,  my  dear  sir,  be  surprised  at  my  saying  it  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  pursue  a  course  so  repugnant  to 
my  feelings,  and  so  contrary  to  my  judgment,  as  to 
banish  religious  instruction  from  the  schools  in  my 
charge.  It  is  what  I  am  confident  you  yourself  would 
not  wish ;  but  I  infer  from  a  remark  in  your  letter 
that  such  are  the  terms  on  which  Government  affords 
patronage.  It  would  be  wrong  to  deceive  the  patrons 
of  the  schools ;  and,   if  my  supposition  is  correct,   I 


A   MEMORIAL.  I05 

can  do  no  otherwise  than  request  that  the  monthly 
allowance  be  withdrawn." 

The  Honorable  Commissioner  was  distressed  by 
this  communication,  since  he  .secretly  hoped  that  she 
would  prosecute  her  work  on  her  own  plan,  not  ex- 
cepting Christianity  from  the  subjects  of  instruction, 
and  because  he  was  already  considering  how  he  might 
best  succeed  in  establishing  a  Hindoo  College  on  the 
system  she  had  adopted.  He  claimed  that  his  Gov- 
ernment "  in  no  way  proscribed  the  teaching  of  Chris- 
tianity," yet  it  thereafter  showed  the  statement  to  be 
unreliable.  It  made  an  appropriation  for  schools 
throughout  the  Province,  "to  be  conducted  on  the 
plan  of  Mrs.  Boardman's  schools,  at  Tavoy ;"  and  then 
very  soon  prohibited  the  propagation  of  Christianity 
in  them.  It,  however,  did  her  the  honor  to  declare 
hers  a  model,  excepting  the  religious  feature,  and  then 
paid  her  a  high  tribute  of  respect  by  making  her  case 
exceptional.  In  the  face  of  its  agreement  with  the 
natives  "  she  was  always  allowed  to  teach  as  her  own 
conscience  dictated." 

Rev.  H.  Morrow,  now  a  missionary  at  Tavoy, 
writes,  recently:  "A  Christian  Chinaman,  Sait  Koik, 
is  still  living  in  the  town  of  Mergui,  who  was  a  pupil 
in  Mrs.  Boardman's  school.  For  many  years  he  was 
the  only  native  Christian  in  that  town,  but  he  has 
kept  his  light  burning." 


I06  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 


XI. 

31  Sl^nr  '^t^X— SECOND  MARRIAGE. 

In  outskirts  of  thy  kingdom  vast, 
Father,  the  humblest  spot  give  me; 

Set  me  the  lowliest  task  thou  hast. 
Let  me,  repentant,  work  for  thee." 

"H.  H."^ — Last  Prayer. 

See!  the  mountains  kiss  high  heaven, 
And  the  waves  clasp  one  another; 

No  sister  flower  would  be  forgiven 
If  it  disdained  its  brother. 

ShelIvEY. 

AFTER  Mr.  Boardman's  death  the  success  of  the 
-  mission  was  Mrs.  Boardman's  supreme  concern. 
She  had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  entreaties  of  friends 
in  America  to  return  to  her  native  land,  and  she  be- 
came so  engaged  in  labors  for  the  heathen  that  only 
continuance  in  them  could  be  contemplated.  A  voice 
calling  her  away  would  have  been  regarded  as  the 
voice  of  a  siren.  She  began  the  study  of  the  Karen 
language,  but  her  duties  interfered  and  she  became 
content  with  the  Burmese,  of  which  she  was  exceed- 
ingly fond,  and  in  which  she  daily  read  the  New  Tes- 
tament, translated  from  the  English  by  Dr.  Judson. 

In  her  great  desire  to  have  her  husband's  work  car- 
ried forward,  and  without  greater  interruption  than  his 
death  made  necessary,  she  soon  took  up  the  lines  that 
had   fallen   from   his   hands,   and  the  Gospel  chariot 


A   MEMORIAL.  107 

moved  on.  It  was  to  do  his  work  and  bring  it  on  to 
larger  fruitage  that  she  had  determined  to  remain  in 
the  country.  The  jaunts  into  the  wilderness  were  a 
part  of  the  plan,  and  to  omit  them  would  bring  disap- 
pointment to  the  native  Christians,  and  might  destroy 
their  hope- of  the  success  of  the  infant  cause,  which 
they  had  espoused  at  their  peril. 

It  seems  probable  that  the  tour  with  Mr.  Board- 
man  in  his  last  days  was  the  only  one  she  had  taken 
to  the  jungle.  By  it  she  had  learned  how  to  travel  and 
what  inconveniences,  fatigue  and  perils  to  expect.  Af- 
ter his  death,  the  continuance  of  the  tours  appears  to 
have  entered  at  once  into  her  plans.  Though  Mr.  Mason 
was  at  the  head  of  the  post  at  Tavoy,  and  had  also  the 
care  of  the  scattered  Karen  villages  among  the  mount- 
ains, still  she  felt  it  to  be  her  duty  and  privilege  to  add 
herself  to  the  work,  that  the  decease  of  her  husband 
might  be  less  seriously  felt.  Very  little  information  re- 
mains to  indicate  the  amount  of  service  she  performed 
in  the  capacity  of  mountain  missionary ;  for  she  was  as 
modest  in  keeping  her  deeds  from  record  as  she  was  in 
their  performance.  She  traveled  with  a  sufficient  es- 
cort of  Karen  Christians,  by  whom  she  was  helped 
along  with  luggage  and  child,  and  through  whom  she 
w^as  enabled  to  reach  the  native  minds  in  their  own 
tongue. 

To  show  what  she  did,  and  how  she  endured,  an 
extended  extract  from  "  Fann}^  Forester's"  work  is 
here  inserted  ;  a  bit  of  narrative  of  surpassing  interest : 

"  Mrs.  Boardman's  tours  in  the  Karen  wilderness, 
with  little  George  borne  in  the  arms  of  her  followers 
beside  her — through  wild  mountain  passes,  over  swol- 


I08  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

len  streams  and  deceitful  marshes,  and  among  the 
craggy  rocks  and  tangled  shrubs  of  the  jungle — if  they 
could  be  spread  out  in  detail,  would  doubtless  present 
scenes  of  thrilling  interest.  But  her  singular  modesty 
always  made  her  silent  on  a  subject  which  would  pre- 
sent her  in  a  light  so  enterprivsing  and  adventurous. 
Even  her  most  intimate  friends  could  seldom  draw 
from  her  anything  on  the  subject ;  and  they  knew  lit- 
tle more  than  that  such  tours  were  made,  and  that  the 
progress  of  the  Gospel  was  not  suspended  among  the 
Karens  while  her  husband's  successor  was  engaged  in 
the  study  of  the  language.  There  is  a  note  addressed 
to  Mrs.  Mason  from  a  zayat  by  the  way-side,  just  be- 
fore she  reached  the  mountains,  and  this  is  the  only 
scrap  among  her  writings  alluding  in  any  way  to  those 
tours.  It  was  sent  back  by  a  party  of  men  who  were 
to  bring  her  provisions,  and  contains  only  directions 
about  the  things  necessary  to  her  journey.  She  says, 
*  Perhaps  you  had  better  send  the  chair,  as  it  is  con- 
venient to  be  carried  over  the  streams  when  they  are 
deep.  You  will  laugh  wdien  I  tell  you  that  I  have 
forded  all  the  smaller  ones.' 

"  A  single  anecdote  is  related  by  Captain  F , 

a  British  officer  stationed  at  Tavoy;  and  he  used  to 
dwell  with  much  unction  on  the  lovely  apparition, 
which  once  greeted  him  among  these  wald,  dreary 
mountains.  He  had  left  Tavoy,  accompanied  by  a  few 
followers,  I  think  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  had 
strolled  far  into  the  jungle.  The  heavy  rains,  which 
deluge  this  country  in  the  summer,  had  not  yet  com- 
menced ;  but  they  were  near  at  hand,  and  during  the 
night  had  sent  an  earnest  of  their  coming,  ^lich  was 


A   MEMORIAL.  109 

anything  but  agreeable.  All  along  his  path  hung  the 
dripping  trailers,  and  beneath  his  feet  were  the  roots 
of  vegetables  half-bared  and  half-imbedded  in  mud; 
while  the  dark  clouds,  with  the  rain  almost  incessantly 
pouring  from  them,  and  the  crazy  clusters  of  bamboo 
huts,  which  appeared  here  and  there  in  the  gloomy 
waste,  and  were  honored  by  the  name  of  village,  made 
up  a  scene  of  desolation  absolutely  indescribable.  A 
heavy  shower  coming  up  as  he  approached  a  zayat 
by  the  way-side,  and  far  from  even  one  of  those  prim- 
itive villages,  he  hastily  took  refuge  beneath  the  roof. 
Here,  in  no  very  good  humor  with  the  world,  es- 
pecially Asiatic  jungles  and  tropic  rains,  he  sulkily 
'  whistled  for  want  of  thought,'  and  employed  his 
eyes  in  watching  the  preparations  for  his  breakfast. 

"  '  Uh !  wdiat  wretched  corners  the  world  has,  hid- 
den beyond  its  oceans  and  behind  its  trees.' 

'*  Just  as  he  had  made  this  .sage  mental  reflection 
he  was  startled  by  the  vision  of  a  fair,  smiling  face  in 
front  of  the  zayat,  the  property  of  a  dripping  figure, 
which  seemed  to  his  surprised  imagination  to  have 
stepped  that  moment  from  the  clouds.  But  the  party 
of  wild  Karen  followers,  which  gathered  round  her, 
had  a  very  human  air ;  and  the  slight  burdens  they 
bore,  spoke  of  human  wants  and  human  cares.  The 
lady  seemed  as  much  surprised  as  himself;  but  she 
courtsied  with  ready  grace,  as  she  made  some  pleasant 
remark  in  English,  and  then  turned  to  retire.  Here 
was  a  dilemma.  He  could  not  suffer  the  lady  to  go 
out  into  the  rain,  but — his  miserable  accommodations, 
and  still  more  miserable  breakfast !  He  hesitated  and 
stammered,  but  her  quick  apprehension  had  taken  in 


no  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

all  at  a  glance,  and  she  at  once  relieved  him  from  his 
embarrassment.  Mentioning  her  name  and  errand, 
she  added,  smiling,  that  the  emergencies  of  the  wilder- 
ness were  not  new  to  her ;  and  now  she  begged  leave 
to  put  her  own  breakfast  with  his,  and  make  up  a 
pleasant  morning  party.  Then  beckoning  to  her  Ka- 
rens, she  spoke  a  few  unintelligible  words,  and  disap- 
peared under  a  low  shed — a  mouldering  appendage  of 
the  zayat.  She  soon  returned  with  the  same  sunny 
face,  and  in  dry  clothing ;  and  very  pleasant  indeed 
was  the  interview  between  the  pious  officer  and  the 
lady  missionary.  They  were  friends  afterward;  and 
the  circumstances  of  their  first  meeting  proved  a  very 
charming  reminiscence. 

"  Mrs.  Boardman  had  always  been  peculiarly  do- 
mestic in  her  character  and  habits ;  esteeming  herself 
blessed  above  measure  when  in  the  bosom  of  her  fam- 
ily, administering  to  her  husband's  happiness,  or  un- 
folding the  budding  intellects  of  her  children,  and  fit- 
ting their  little  spirits  for  their  future  destiny.  But 
now  she  sat  in  the  zayat,  which  had  been  erected  for 
her  husband,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  in  oth- 
ers, wherever  a  little  company  of  worshipers  could  be 
collected,  and  performed  even  weightier  offices  than 
those  of  Miriam  and  Anna;  not  like  the  wild-eyed 
priestess  of  Apollo,  breathing  burning  words  from  the 
sacred  tripod,  and  mad  with  imagined  inspiration ;  but 
meek,  and  sometimes  tearful,  speaking  in  low,  gentle 
accents,  and  with  a  manner  sweetly  persuasive.  In 
several  instances  she  thus  conducted  the  worship  of 
two  or  three  hundred  Karens,  through  the  medium  of 
her  Burmese  interpreter;  and  such  was   her  modest 


A   MEMORIAL.  Ill 

manner  of  accomplishing  the  unusual  task,  that  even 
the  most  fastidious  were  pleased ;  and  a  high  officer  of 
the  English  Church,  which  is  well  known  to  take  strict 
cognizance  of  irregularities,  saw  fit  to  bestow  upon  her 
unqualified  praise.  These  acts,  however,  were  not  in 
accordance  with  her  feminine  taste  or  sense  of  pro- 
priety. The  duty  which  called  her  to  them  was  fash- 
ioned by  peculiar  circumstances  ;  and,  as  soon  as  op- 
portunity offered,  she  gladly  relinquished  the  task,  in 
favor  of  a  person  better  suited  to  its  performance." 

Mrs.  Boardman  now  appears  under  a  new  test — an 
offer  of  marriage.  Three  years  have  passed  in  widow- 
hood and  in  circumstances  essentially  homeless.  Even 
in  her  own  house  and  with  a  little  son  to  image  the  de- 
parted, she  was  desolate;  while,  with  all  her  love  for 
the  poor  Karens,  a  wilderness  life,  with  no  one  of  her 
own  tastes  and  habits  of  living  for  a  companion,  tended 
to  intensify  her  feeling  of  bereavement.  It  was  only 
as  Christians  that  the  Karens  were  companionable  and 
worthy  of  affedlion.  She  said  that  it  required  the  pa- 
tience of  a  Job  and  the  wisdom  of  a  Solomon  to  get  on 
with  them,  much  as  she  loved  them.  Thus  in  that 
populous  region  she  was  essentially  alone.  No  one 
was  there  to  consciously  share  with  her  the  glories  of 
the  morning  and  the  beauties  of  the  evening,  or  to  ap- 
preciate the  wonders  of  a  tropical  forest  and  to  ascribe 
praise  to  Him  who  in  wisdom  had  made  them  all.  The 
language  of  nature  was  a  lesson  as  3^et  far  in  advance 
of  the  untutored  Karen.  Her  enjoyment  of  what  was 
at  hand  was  abated  one-half  by  the  want  of  a  com- 
panion of  kindred  tastes,  and  only  the  closest  engage- 
ment in  religious  work  could  prevent  her  solitariness 
from  becoming  intolerable. 


112  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

Here,  too,  was  a  man  whose  domestic  situation  was 
similar  to  her  own ;  one  who  had  made  full  proof  of 
his  nobility,  in  the  home  no  less  than  in  the  highest 
forms  of  missionary  service.  Here  in  a  land  of  dark- 
ness the  tenderest  tie  of  life  had  been  dissolved,  and 
the  idol  of  his  heart  was  reposing  within  its  shadows. 
For  nearly  eight  years  had  he  borne  the  trial,  much  of 
the  time  a  great  sufferer  on  account  of  it,  and  the  cir- 
cumstances were  fully  known.  He  had  the  most  com- 
plete realization  of  the  anguish  she  had  passed  through, 
and  at  the  first  had  written  to  her  in  delicate,  sympa- 
thetic terms  as  follows : 

"  I  can  only  advise  you  to  take  the  cup  with  both 
hands  and  sit  down  quietly  to  the  bitter  repast,  which 
God  has  appointed  for  your  sandlification.  ^  ^  * 
You  will  soon  learn  there  is  sweetness  at  the  bottom. 
*  *  You  will  find  heaven  coming  nearer  to  3^ou  ;  and 
familiarity  with  your  husband's  voice  will  be  a  con- 
necting link,  drawing  you  almost  within  the  sphere  of 
celestial  music."  And  then  he  added  some  words  of 
counsel  respecting  her  affairs,  making  the  most  gener- 
ous, fraternal  offer  of  assistance,  both  with  influence 
and  with  money,  in  case  events  should  make  some 
special  manifestation  of  sympathy  toward  herself  and 
child  necessary. 

What  woman  could  forget  such  words,  spoken  at 
such  a  time  and  reaching  her  in  such  a  place?  How 
they  must  have  helped  to  form  a  proper  estimate  of 
the  wealth  of  the  nature  w^hence  they  came  !  And 
such  estimate  was  of  much  importance  when  afterward 
an  interested  acquaintance  was  sought,  in  order  that 
the  force  of  circumstances  might  not  have  a  greater  in- 


A   MEMORIAL.  113 

fluence  over  her  mind  than  the  desirable  and  necessary 
quahties.  How  easily  such  a  friendship  would  precipi- 
tate a  marriage,  if  not  controlled.  Souls  of  kindred  tastes 
and  occupation,  alike  talented  and  trained  for  the  same 
enterprise,  also  similarly  afflicted  and  in  need  of  com- 
panionship, would  naturally  flow  together  when  meet- 
ing in  a  foreign  land  where  there  was  no  alternative  for 
either.  The  wonder  is  that  the  case  did  not  decide 
itself  at  once,  at  a  muc^h  earlier  date,  and  while  love 
was  not  yet  developed. 

Three  years  was  a  long  time  for  Mrs.  Boardman  to 
be  in  widowhood  in  such  a  country  and  with  such  a 
friend  doing  her  reverence ;  and  this  consideration  of 
time  enters  into  the  verdict  of  favor  that  must  be 
bestowed  upon  her  as  a  woman  of  judgment  and 
intelligent  affedlion. 

The  time  came  when  she  could  with  propriety  re- 
ceive an  offer  of  marriage,  and  w^ithout  an  effort  bestow 
her  heart's  wealth  upon  one  who  loved  her  with  all  the 
earnestness  of  his  ardent  nature.  He  came  down  from 
Maulmain  to  Tavoy  on  April  6,  1834,  and  on  the  loth 
of  the  same  month  they  "received  the  benedidlion  of 
the  Rev.  Mr,  Mason  " — were  married,  and  went  im- 
mediatel}^  to  Maulmain,  as  Adoniram  and  Sarah  B. 
Judson. 

In  resuming  the  married  state  our  heroine  was  nec- 
essarily brought  into  new  circumstances  and  compelled 
to  undergo  changes.  The  cause  of  missions  was  that 
upon  which  the  mind  was  fixed  supremely,  and  all  cal- 
culations must  point  toward  its  prosecution.  Even 
home  and  comforts  must  be  secondary.  And  it  seemed 
advisable  that  she  sacrifice  her  location  for  that  of  her 


114  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

husband.  He  had  been  longer  in  the  country  and  had 
become  estabUshed  at  Maulmain,  while  she  would  nat- 
urally expect  to  follow  custom  and  go  to  the  home  her 
husband  should  provide  for  her. 

The  ties  at  Tavoy,  however,  were  found  to  be 
strong.  There  were  the  graves  of  Mr.  Boardman  and 
the  children,  the  little  bethel  near  them  in  the  grove 
of  Gangau  trees,  Yalah,  the  romantic  spot  on  the  sea- 
shore which  she  and  Mr.  Boardman  had  often  visited 
together,  and  the  dwelling  itself,  which,  however 
"homely,"  was  really  home.  The  rudest  of  houses  is 
rendered  precious  by  sandlities  that  the  heart  can  feel 
better  than  the  tongue  can  describe ;  and  though  they 
be  due  to  sufferings,  it  receives  the  "lingering  look" 
as  the  relucftant  foot  turns  from  it  to  one  untried. 
Then  there  were  the  "  beloved  Karens."  Would  not 
they  sometimes  come  in  from  the  mountains  and 
gather  about  the  house  as  beforetime,  scarcely  able  to 
realize  that  the  devout  soul  w^ho  was  as  dear  as  life  to 
them  had  really  left  them,  and  there  mourn  for  the 
white  inamma  f  Her  regret  at  leaving  was  abated  by 
the  refle(5lion  that  they  had  been  left  in  the  hands  of 
good  teachers,  yet  she  never  forgot  them,  "and,  for 
many  years,  required  a  list  of  all  the  converts  to  be 
sent  her,  and  frequently  had  occasion  to  rejoice  over 
the  final  ingathering  of  those  for  whose  salvation  she 
had  in  former  times  zealously  labored." 

Concerning  the  city  to  which  she  now  returns  after 
an  absence  of  six  years,  we  have  the  following  account : 

"  Maulmain  had  grown  into  a  large,  populous  town 
since  young  Boardman  erected  his  bamboo  cottage  in 
the  jungle ;  new  missionaries  had  gathered  there ;   sev- 


A  meSioriai..  115 

eral  flourishing  schools  had  been  established ;  and  the 
printing-press  was  sending  forth  its  publications  in 
every  direction.  When  she  left  her  first  Burman 
home,  in  1828,  for  Tavoy,  there  was  one  church  at 
Maulmain,  containing  three  native  members.  Now, 
in  charge  of  her  present  husband,  were  three  flourish- 
ing churches — one  Burmese,  of  about  one  hundred 
members,  and  two  Karen,  containing  unitedly  the 
same  number.  An  English  church  had  also  been  es- 
tablished by  the  missionaries,  but  was  kept  in  a  fludlu- 
ating  state  by  the  frequent  changes  occurring  in  the 
army.  Still  this  success  seemed  to  those  who  occupied 
a  position  to  measure  the  extent  of  the  immense  field, 
but  one  small  step  in  their  progress  ;  and  Mrs.  Judson, 
instead  of  finding  her  usefulness  retarded  by  her  new 
position,  saw  opening  before  her  a  wider  and  more 
effecftive  range.  The  river  of  her  life  now  flowed  on 
more  evenly — deeper,  broader,  serener — with  nothing 
to  obstruct  its  course ;  but  its  wealth  of  w^aters  scarce 
made  a  sound  as  they  floated  by.  It  was  a  life  of 
which  there  is  much  to  remember  and  little  to  tell; 
as  a  year  of  stirring  events  may  fill  a  volume,  while 
perhaps  the  dozen  valuable  years  of  patient  toil  and 
quiet  endurance  that  follow  have  their  only  record  on  a 
single  page.  She  did  not  establish  schools,  for  that 
ground  was  already  occupied ;  nor  did  she  make  long 
tours  in  the  wilderness  and  speak  to  listening  crowds 
in  the  za3^at ;  but  she  was  in  heart  and  life  a  mission- 
ary still.  '  I  can  truly  say,'  she  writes  to  a  very  inti- 
mate triend,  a  year  after  her  marriage,  '  that  the  mis- 
sion cause  and  missionary  labor  is  increasingly  dear  to 
me  every  month  of  my  life.  I  am  now  united  with  one 


Il6  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

whose  heavenly  spirit  and  example  is  deeply  calculated 
to  make  me  more  devoted  to  the  cause  than  I  ever 
have  been  before.  Oh,  that  I  may  profit  by  such 
precious  advantages  !'  " 

Dr.  W.  C.  Richards,  in  his  missionary  epic,  "  The 
Apostle  of  Burmah,"  makes  reference  to  the  main 
event  recorded  in  this  chapter,  in  just  and  delicate 
poetic  phrase : 

"  Now  may  a  happy  marriage  song  be  sung. 

When  two  lone  hearts  their  widowhood  forsake. 
And  in  love's  hallowed  bonds  fit  union  make. 
Where  double  griefs  their  shadows  long  had  flung. 

"With  three  slow  years  of  sacred,  sweet  employ 

Had  sainted  Boardman's  widow  crowned  his  tomb, 
And  kindled  light  from  Heaven  'mid  heathen  gloom 
In  scores  of  Karen  hearts  at  old  Tavoy. 

"  Her  holy  heroism  matched  with  Judson's  well ; 
One  only  aim  each  earnest  soul  inspired ; 
And  his  great  heart,  with  whelming  conflicts  tired, 
Found  rest  and  life  again  in  Love's  strong  spell." 


A    MEMORIAI^.  117 


XII. 

mhC  i^eip%MatC—TO/L/NG,  SACRIFICING. 

Who  in  Life's  battle  firm  doth  stand 
Shall  bear  Hope's  tender  blossoms 
Into  the  Silent  Land. 

J.  G.  Vox  Salts. 

We  parted  ii  silence — we  parted  in  tears, 

On  the  banks  of  that  lonely  river ; 
But  the  odor  and  bloom  of  those  by-gone  years 

Shall  hang  o'er  its  waters  forever. 

Mrs.  Crawford. 

ON  settling  in  Maulmain  the  second  time,  with  the 
memory  of  her  first  husband  fresh  and  fragrant, 
and  the  recollection  of  the  solitary  bamboo  hat  and 
the  invasion  of  the  Martaban  robbers  still  vivid,  what 
must  have  been  Mrs.  Judson's  unspoken  thoughts ! 
Less  than  seven  years  had  passed  since  she  here  found 
what  she  supposed  to  be  her  permanent  home  and  set- 
tled down  to  an  earnest  stud}^  of  the  language,  endeav- 
oring, meantime,  to  attract  and  converse  with  "  the 
half-wild  children  who  stood  gaping  at  her  in  amused 
curiosity."  She  wrote  at  the  time:  "We  are  in  ex- 
cellent health,  and  as  happ}"  as  it  is  possible  for  human 
beings  to  be  upon  earth.  It  is  our  earnest  desire  to 
live  and  labor  and  die  among  this  people."  Alas,  the 
uncertainties  of  life  !  In  four  days  after  penning  these 
words  occurred  the  robbery  which  came  so  near  being 


Il8  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

a  tragedy  ;  within  a  3'ear  the  removal  to  Tavoy ;  then 
three  years  of  domestic  trials — sickness  and  death  of 
husband  and  children — followed  by  three  other  years 
of  solitariness  and  consecrated  widowhood,  in  the  cause 
of  the  heathen. 

She  now  returns  to  the  place  of  her  first  settlement, 
leaning  upon  the  arm  of  the  apostle  of  modern  mis- 
sions, the  recognized  chief  of  all  the  Baptist  mission- 
aries in  the  East.  Favored  handmaid  of  the  Lord  ! — 
to  have  such  husbands  as  Boardman  and  Judson  !  And 
equally  favored  were  those  noble  souls,  to  possess  in 
her  the  gentlest,  purest,  noblest  of  Christian  women. 

Mrs.  Judson,  with  the  advice  of  her  husband,  at 
once  began  the  study  of  the  language  of  the  Peguans, 
or  Talings,  a  people  who  comprised  a  large  part  of  the 
population  of  Maulmain,  and  who  differed  from  the  Bur- 
mans  in  everything  except  their  religion.  They  became 
interested  in  the  new  religion  through  a  Burmese  tract 
translated  into  their  tongue,  but  they  found  no  sympa- 
thy until  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  looked  into  their  neces- 
sities. Mrs.  Judson  applied  herself  to  the  acquisition 
of  this  dialect  with  patient  industry.  She  also  estab- 
lished female  prayer-meetings,  "having  the  timid  Bur- 
mese women  come  to  her  in  classes,  instead  of  forming 
together  one  great  assembly."  She  likewise  formed  a 
class  to  which  she  taught  the  Scriptures  weekly,  and 
under  her  direction  the  mothers  in  the  church  formed 
themselves  into  a  maternal  society  which  met  once  a 
month  and  grew  in  interest.  "Then  there  were  the 
seemingly  small,  never  ceasing  duties  of  a  pastor's 
wife  ;  the  ignorant  to  instruct  by  the  daily,  patient  '  line 
upon  line,'  the  erring  to  admonish,  the  sorrowful  to 


A    MKMORIAI^.  119 

pray  over,  little  difficulties  to  settle,  and  many  a  small 
obstacle  to  remove  from  the  path  that  weak,  timid  feet 
were  treading.  About  half  of  the  church  were  females, 
who  required  to  be  guided  and  led  along  like  children." 

The  performance  of  such  duties  was  a  great  relief 
to  Dr.  Judson,  who  was  busy,  early  and  late,  superin- 
tending the  publication  of  the  Burmese  Bible  that  had 
been  but  recently  completed  and  dedicated  to  the  God 
of  missions.  She  was  efficient,  too,  in  establishing  a 
Sunday  school,  embracing  all  the  day-schools,  six  in 
number.  And  at  about  this  time  she  speaks  of  having 
finished  the  revision,  in  Peguan,  of  the  standard  tracts, 
Catechism,  View,  Balance,  and  Investigator,  and  gone 
partly  through  with  the  Gospel  of  Luke. 

"Assisted  by  Ko  Man-boke,  a  Peguan  Christian, 
who  was  familiar  with  the  Burmese,  she  followed  her 
revision  of  the  tracts  by  a  translation  of  the  New 
Testament;  and  at  the  "close  of  the  year,  1837,  she 
gave  to  the  Press  an  edition  of  the  Life  of  Christ, 
which  she  had  translated  from  the  Burmese.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  Haswell  had  arrived;  and,  as  soon  as 
she  could  do  so  to  advantage,  she  gladly  placed  all  her 
books  and  papers  in  the  hands  of  a  missionary  of 
whose  facility  in  acquiring  languages  she  speaks  ad- 
miringly ;  and  whose  indefatigable  labors  in  a  field 
which  had  interested  her  so  deeply  must  have  been 
very  gratifying. 

"  Mrs.  Judson's  labors  in  the  Peguan  w^ere  some- 
what singular ;  indeed,  I  believe  scarcely  precedented. 
Missionaries  sometimes  abandon  one  language  and  de- 
vote themselves  to  the  acquisition  of  another,  in  which 
they  hope  to  effect  more  good.     But  I  know  of  only 


I20  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

one  other  instance  (Ann  H.  Judson,  in  the  Siamese) 
of  stepping  from  the  path  which  has  grown  famiUar 
to  the  foot,  toiUng  for  years  merely  to  supply  an  exi- 
gency, and  then  resigning  the  labor  and  its  fruits  to 
another  as  willingly  as  though  it  had  never  cost  an 
effort.  She  used  to  sit  by  her  study-table  all  day 
long,  except  when  called  elsew^here  by  imperative 
duty,  with  two  or  three  assistants  about  her;  and 
though  the  translations  and  revisions  there  made 
were  necessarily  imperfect,  there  has  been  a  time 
when  they  were  invaluable." 

The  following  letter,  from  an  aged  minister  who 
had  occasion  to  be  grateful  to  Mrs.  Boardman,  will 
serve  as  a  side-light  upon  the  beneyolent  feature  of 
her  character: 

Whitewater,  Wis.,  December  3,  1888. 
Rev.  W.  N.  Wyeth,  D.  D. 

TIfy  Dear  Brother : — Your  letter  of  29th  nit.  is  here. 
You  wish  to  know  something  from  me  about  the  second 
Mrs.  Judson. 

I  first  heard  the  Gospel — "  pure  and  undefiled,"  from 
the  fervid  lips  of  Eugenio  Kincaid,  "  The  Hero  Mission- 
ary." It  was  at  Maulmain,  Burmah,  in  February,  1831. 
I  was  an  artilleryman  in  the  service  of  the  notorious 
East  India  Company. 

Mr.  K.'s  ministry  in  English  was  the  chief  human 
agency  in  leading  me  out  of  darkness  into  marvelous 
light.  He  baptized  me  in  the  river  Sal  wen  in  March, 
1 83 1.  I  united  at  once  with  an  English  speaking  church, 
organized  there  some  eight  months  before  by  one  of  the 
best  men  this  side  of  Paradise — George  Dana  Boardman. 
There  were  only  five  members.     The  number  was  swelled 


A    MEMORIAL.  121 

to  a  hundred  before  the  year  1831  ended;  nearly  all  mis- 
sionaries in  some  .sense. 

I  had  but  little  personal  acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Jud- 
son.  It  was,  however,  enough,  with  the  grand  reputation 
she  bore,  to  give  me  the  following  facts  :  First,  the  phys- 
ical person  was  rather  small ;  second,  her  social  qualities 
were  naturally  fine,  and  finely  cultivated;  third,  printed 
productions  proved  that  hers  was  a  rich  intellect ;  fourth, 
her  religious  and  spiritual  character  was  no  less  than 
saintly.  She  belonged  to  a  class  of  men  and  women 
of  whom  I  think  it  can  be  fitly  said  that  there  were  no 
persons  yet  amid  the  infirmities  of  the  earth  who  came 
nearer  being  incarnations  of  the  true  missionary  spirit. 

Dr.  Judson  gave  me  the  first  thought  I  have  ever  had 
about  preaching  Christ  and  Him  crucified  to  the  perish- 
ing. He  formed  a  plan  for  my  future  action.  I  have 
tried  to  act  according  to  it  ever  since  October,  1834.  I 
then  received  my  discharge  from  a  hateful  service.  I  took 
the  first  chance  to  start  for  the  United  States,  via  Madras 
and  I^ondon.  In  June,  1835,  I  reached  the  "  Hamilton 
Seminary,"  and  put  myself  under  the  instruction  of  some 
grand  Christian  men.  In  1844  I  came  to  Wisconsin. 
Here  I  have  been  since,  all  but  some  time  spent  as  chap- 
lain in  the  late  war. 

A  few  days  before  leaving  Maulmain  I  enjoyed  a  spe- 
cial interview  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Judson.  Out  of  the  lim- 
ited compensation  awarded  her  personally  by  the  officers 
in  Boston,  she  made  me  a  present  of  fifty  rupees  ($25)  to 
meet  special  wants  on  the  long  journey.  It  was  an  offer- 
ing of  self-abnegation  to  the  sublime  enterprise  against 
sin,  which  takes  in  the  entire  field,  called  the  World. 
How  many  are  my  thoughts  of  those  consecrated  men 
and  women  even  now,  when  very  nearly  eighty-five  years 
old !  And  there  is  hardly  a  thought  that  is  not  more  or 
less  salutary  to  my  poor,  frail  nature.     But  I  must  close. 


122  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

Your  work  is  laudable.  I  wish  you  the  success  you 
have  a  just  right  to  anticipate.  I  shall  feel  it  a  privilege 
to  do  all  I  can  to  encourage  your  enterprise.  Hoping  that 
your  labors  will  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord, 

I  am,  yours,  &c., 

JAS.  DELANY. 

Mrs.  Judson  had  been  much  reduced  by  a  recur- 
rence of  her  malady  with  alarming  virulence.  The 
attack  came  soon  after  the  removal  to  Maulmain,  and 
only  after  many  weeks  of  lingering  low  at  the  gate  of 
death  did  she  begin  to  recover.  Her  own  account  of 
her  suffering  and  subsequent  experience  is  both  inter- 
esting and  suggestive : 

"  When  I  first  came  up  from  Tavoy  I  was  thin  and 
pale ;  and  though  I  called  myself  pretty  well,  I  had  no 
appetite  for  food  and  was  scarce  able  to  walk  half  a 
mile.  Soon  after,  I  was  called  to  endure  a  long  and 
severe  attack  of  illness,  which  brought  me  to  the  brink 
of  the  grave.  I  was  never  so  low  in  any  former  ill- 
ness, and  the  doctor  who  attended  me  has  since  told 
me  that  he  had  no  hope  of  my  recovery ;  and  that  when 
he  came  to  prescribe  medicine  for  me,  it  was  more  out 
of  regard  for  the  feelings  of  my  husband  than  from 
any  prospect  of  its  affording  me  relief.  I  lay  confined 
to  my  bed  week  after  week,  unable  to  move  except  as 
Mr.  Judson  sometimes  carried  me  in  his  arms  from  the 
bed  to  the  couch  for  a  change;  and  even  this  once 
brought  on  a  return  of  the  disease,  which  very  nearly 
cost  me  my  life.  *  -^^  I  never  shall  forget  the  pre- 
cious seasons  enjoyed  on  that  sick-bed.  Little  George 
will  tell  you  about  it,  if  3^ou  should  ever  see  him.  I 
think  he  will  always  remember  some  sweet  conversa- 


A    MEMORIAL.  123 

tions  I  had  with  him,  on  the  state  of  his  soul,  at  that 
time.  Dear  child !  his  mind  was  very  tender,  and  he 
would  weep  on  account  of  his  sins,  and  would  kneel 
down  and  pray  with  all  the  fervor  and  simplicity  of 
childhood.  He  used  to  read  the  Bible  to  me  every  day, 
and  commit  little  hymns  to  memory  by  my  bedside. 
'i'  -''  It  pleased  my  Heavenly  Father  to  raise  me  up 
again,  although  I  was  for  a  long  time  very  weak.  As 
soon  as  I  was  able  I  commenced  riding  on  horseback, 
and  used  to  take  a  long  ride  every  morning  before  sun- 
rise. After  a  patient  trial  I  found  that  riding  improved 
my  health  ;  though  manj^  times  I  should  have  become 
discouraged  and  given  it  up  but  for  the  perseverance 
of  my  husband.  After  riding  almost  every  day  for 
four  or  five  months  I  found  my  health  so  much  im- 
proved, and  gained  strength  so  fast,  that  I  began  to 
think  walking  might  be  substituted.  About  this  time 
my  nice  little  pony  died,  and  we  commenced  a  regular 
system  of  exercise  on  foot,  walking  at  a  rapid  pace, 
far  over  the  hills  beyond  the  town,  before  the  sun  was 
up,  every  morning.  We  have  continued  this  persever- 
ingly  up  to  the  present  time ;  and  during  these  years 
my  health  has  been  better  than  at  any  time  previous 
since  my  arrival  in  India,  and  m}'  constitution  seems 
to  have  undergone  an  entire  renovation." 

It  was  also  soon  after  her  settlement  at  Maulmain 
that  the  greatest  trial  3'et  experienced — the  severest 
known  in  missionary  life — was  to  be  met.  It  was  that  of 
sending  her  little  son,  George,  to  America.  He  was  now 
six  years  of  age,  and  it  was  high  time  that  he  should 
be  removed  from  the  enervating  influences  of  the  Asi- 
atic climate.     It  was  some  abatement  of  the  pain  of 


124  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

parting  that  she  came  deliberately  to  her  conclusion. 
The  circumstances,  as  told  by  herself  and  her  biogra- 
pher, are  very  engaging  and  pathetic,  and  preference  is 
given  to  their  accounts  : 

"  Mrs.  Judson  had  taken  the  formidable  resolution 
of  parting  with  her  one  darling  boy  previous  to  her 
second  marriage  ;  and  soon  after  this- event  an  oppor- 
tunity offered  for  sending  him  to  America,  which 
might  not  occur  again  in  many  years.  The  ship  Cash- 
mere had  brought  a  number  of  missionaries  to  Maul- 
main,  and  would  return  directly  to  Boston,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  weeks  to  be  passed  at  Singapore. 
Mrs.  Judson  hesitated,  for  little  George,  being  her 
'only  one,'  had  been  most  tenderly  nurtured;  and  his 
nature  had  about  it  a  clinging  tenderness  and  sensi- 
tiveness which  peculiarly  unfitted  him  for  contact  with 
strangers.  She  says  :  'After  deliberation,  accompanied 
with  tears  and  agony  and  prayers,  I  came  to  the  con- 
vidlion  that  it  was  my  duty  to  send  away  my  only  child, 
my  darling  George,  and  yesterday  he  bade  me  a  long 
farewell.  Oh,  my  dear  sister !  my  heart  is  full,  and  I 
long  to  disburden  it  by  writing  you  whole  pages ;  but 
my  eyes  are  rolling  down  with  tears,  and  I  can  scarcely 
hold  my  pen.  *  *  Oh !  I  shall  never  forget  his  looks, 
as  he  stood  by  the  door  and  gazed  at  me  for  the  last 
time.  His  eyes  were  filling  with  tears,  and  his  little 
face  red  with  suppressed  emotion.  But  he  subdued 
his  feelings,  and  it  was  not  till  he  had  turned  away 
and  was  going  down  the  steps  that  he  burst  into  a 
flood  of  tears.  I  hurried  to  my  room  ;  and  on  my 
knees,  with  my  whole  heart,  gave  him  up  to  God ;  and 
my  bursting  heart  was  comforted  from  above.     I  felt 


A   MKMORIAI,.  125 

such  a  love  to  poor,  perishing  souls  as  made  me  will- 
ing to  give  up  all,  that  I  might  aid  in  the  work  of 
bringing  these  wretched  heathen  to  Christ.  The  love 
of  God,  manifested  in  sending  his  only-begotten  and 
well-beloved  Son  into  this  world,  to  die  for  our  sins, 
touched  my  heart,  and  I  felt  satisfaction  in  laying  upon 
the  altar  my  only  son.  My  reason  and  judgment  tell 
me  that  the  good  of  my  child  requires  that  he  should 
be  sent  to  America ;  and  this  of  itself  would  support 
me  in  some  little  degree ;  but  w^hen  I  view  it  as  a  sac- 
rifice, made  for  the  sake  of  Jesus,  it  becomes  a  de- 
lightful privilege.  I  feel  a  great  degree  of  confidence 
that  George  will  be  converted,  and  I  cannot  but  hope 
he  will  one  day  return  to  Burmah,  a  missionar}-  of  the 
Cross,  as  his  dear  father  w^as.  *  ^^  His  dear  papa 
took  him  down  to  Amherst  in  a  boat.  He  held  him  in 
his  arms  all  the  w^ay ;  and  he  says  his  conversation 
was  very  affectionate  and  intelligent.  He  saw  his 
little  bed  prepared  in  the  cabin,  and  every  thing  as 
comfortable  and  pleasant  as  possible,  and  then,  as 
George  expressed  it,  returned  to  'comfort  mamma.' 
And  much  did  I  need  comfort ;  for  this  is,  in  some 
respects,  the  severest  trial  I  have  ever  met  with.' 

"  Here  let  us  leave  the  mother  to  her  griefs  and  con- 
solations, and  give,  here  and  there,  a  glance  at  the  little 
wanderer,  w^ho  has  commenced  the  long  and  dreary 
voyage  to  the  land  of  his  parents'  birth.  We  find  him 
at  first  surrounded  by  gentle  and  loving  friends — so 
gentle  and  so  loving  that  he  scarce  misses  his  mother's 
voice  and  kiss  ;  and  longs  to  behold  her  only  that  he 
may  give  her  an  account  of  the  wonders  he  is  from  day 
to  day  beholding.     Everybody  loves  him  and  studies 


126  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

his  happiness.  The  missionaries  destined  to  Singa- 
pore pity  him,  and  pity  the  parents  left  behind,  and 
the}^  vie  with  each  other  in  bestowing  upon  him  the 
minutest  attention  which  they  think  might  be  sug- 
gested by  a  mother's  love.  The  officers  and  the  crew 
are  all  charmed  with  him  ;  for  the  presence  of  a  child 
in  the  ship  is  not  a  common  thing,  and  he  is  a  child  of 
peculiar  gentleness.  Arrived  at  Singapore,  he  is  still 
with  missionaries  whose  sympathies  are  all  enlisted  in 
his  behalf;  and  the  children  are  his  pleasant  playmates. 
And  now  he  attracts  other  attention ;  and  so  he  goes  to 
sit  in  richly  furnished  apartments,  such  as  he  has  never 
seen  before ;  and  he  looks  at  handsome  paintings,  and 
walks  through  fine  gardens,  while  he  is  loaded  with 
caresses  by  those  who  wonder  of  what  magic  power 
the  mother  is  possessed  who  has  thus  far  and  thus 
well  bred  up  her  son  in  heathen  Burmah. 

"  Next,  we  will  step  into  the  open  boat  and  follow 
the  little  wanderer  to  the  ship  all  ready  to  spread  her 
sails  for  America.  It  is  rowed  b}^  natives;  but  the 
child  is  still  under  the  protection  of  two  missionaries, 
Jones  and  Dean.  They  are  ten  miles  from  the  shore, 
and  five  from  the  ship — all  alone,  and  without  arms. 
A  boat  with  three  wild,  fierce-looking  men  hails  them 
in  a  seemingly  friendly  manner;  and  coming  near 
enough  to  spy  out  their  strength,  or  rather  weakness, 
moves  on.  But  the  little  company  suspects  no  danger. 
A  few  moments  pass  and  the  sp3'-boat  re-appears.  It 
heads  directly  towards  them,  and  conies  with  more 
speed — a  sail  hoisted,  and  better  manned.  A  quick 
glance  of  suspicion  is  exchanged,  but  their  is  time  for 
no  more,  for  the  sail  is  close  alongside.     The  strangers 


A    MEMORIAI..  127 

ask  but  a  cluster  of  fruit  however,  and  one  of  the  gen- 
tlemen rises  to  give  it  them.  What  a  gleaming  of 
fiendish  eyes  !  A  moment  of  rapid  action  succeeds — a 
push — a  plunge — and  the  kind  fruit-giver  is  struggling 
with  the  waves  which  have  closed  above  his  head. 
They  attempt  to  wrestle  a  little  with  his  companion, 
but  finally  seize  their  arms.  The  little  boy,  from  his 
hiding-place  beneath  a  bench,  marks  every  thrust ;  and 
his  flesh  creeps,  and  his  blue  eyes  glitter  and  dilate  un- 
til they  assume  an  intense  blackness.  And  now  the 
form  of  his  protector  sw^ays  and  reels,  and  the  red 
blood  trickles  from  his  wounded  side  to  the  bottom  of 
the  boat.  He  stands,  however,  and  receives  another 
wound.  And  now  the  three  iron  prongs  of  a  fishing 
spear  send  their  barbed  points  through  bone  and  mus- 
cle, and  the  heavy  wooden  handle  is  left  hanging  from 
the  transfixed  and  bleeding  wrist.  At  this  fearful  crisis 
a  hand  from  without  clutches  the  boat — a  pale,  dripping 
face  appears,  and  the  drowning  man  is  dragged  over 
the  side  by  the  bewildered  oarsmen.  What  a  place  to 
seek  safety  in !  The  marauders  stand  with  drawn  cut- 
lass, or  brandishing  the  cur\^ed  creese ;  but  they  pause 
a  moment  in  their  deadly  work,  and  substitute  threats 
for  blows.  Their  tones  are  those  of  infuriated  mad- 
men, and  their  gestures — hah  !  a  light  begins  to  break  ! 
Can  that  one  small  box,  standing  so  unpretendingly  in 
the  center  of  the  boat,  be  the  cause  of  the  affray  ?  It 
contains  treasure,  true,  but  not  such  as  the}'  can  ap- 
preciate— messages  of  love  from  absent  children,  broth- 
ers, sisters  and  friends,  to  those  who  would  value  them 
far  above  gold  and  rubies.  It  is  gladly  flung  to  them 
however,  and  the  pirate-boat  wheels  and  flees  like  a 
bird  of  prey. 


128  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

'•  Thank  God  that  death  came  neither  in  the  wave 
nor  the  steel !  And  oh,  how  heart-felt,  how  unutter- 
ably deep  will  be  the  mother's  gratitude,  when  she 
hears  of  her  darling's  safety  !  When  she  knows  that 
he  has  not  been  borne  away  to  some  dark  haunt  of  vice 
and  crime,  to  be  bred  to  the  bloody  trade  of  a  wild 
Malayan  corsair!" 


A   MEMORIAI,.  129 


XIII. 

^CC\1   ^hat>0tV^—'PER/LS  OF  WATERSr 

A  new  home  and  new  labor  in  ]\Ianlniain 

Were  clouded  yet  with  shadows  of  the  grave  ; 
Domestic  charms  and  sweetness  could  not  save 

The  happy  threshold  from  the  feet  of  pain. 

And  all  the  while  the  shadow  deeper  grew, 

And  the  fond  mother's  cheek  beneath  it  paled. 

Richards— '^-://>a9/'/<"  of  Bunnahr 

For  God  hath  marked  each  sorrowing  day 

And  numbered  every  secret  tear, 
And  Heaven's  long  age  of  bliss  shall  pay 

For  all  his  children  suffer  here. 

Bryant. 

MRS.  JUDSON  was  now  well  established  in  her 
new  home  and  had  become  accustomed  to  her 
new  duties.  Evidently  she  did  not  marry  to  obtain  a 
home,  but  rather  to  add  to  present  advantages  and 
modes  of  usefulness,  and  in  fulfillment  of  the  higher 
designs  of  life.  She  began  her  work  at  once.  Mov- 
ing and  settling  was  not  a  work  of  magnitude,  because 
there  was  little  to  be  moved ;  and  improvement  of  a 
domicile  beyond  its  character  as  a  mere  shelter  was 
scarcely  to  be  contemplated. 

Her  only  child  had  been  sent  to  America  about  six 
months  after  marriage,  and  though  her  heart  was  lead- 
ing her  over  the  sea  continually,  her  mind  was  in  close 


130  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

and  constant  S3^mpatliy  with  daily  duties.  She  entered 
with  great  zeal  and  zest  into  the  plans  of  her  husband, 
rejoicing  the  more  in  the  successes  she  helped  to 
achieve.  With  what  extreme  gratification  did  she 
write  the  following  to  his  mother : 

He  has  lately  baptized  eighteen  persons — seven  Eng- 
lish soldiers,  five  Indo-Britons,  three  Burmans,  one  Hin- 
doo, one  Arracanese,  and  one  Mahometan.  The  latter  is 
faithful  old  Koo-chil,  the  Hindoo  cook  mentioned  in  Mrs. 
Judson's  "Narrative."  The  poor  old  man  resisted  the 
truth  long  and  stubbornly,  and  we  were  sometimes  al- 
most discouraged  about  him.  But  divine  grace  was  too 
mighty  for  him,  and  on  last  Lord's  Day  we  saw  him  bow 
beneath  the  Salwen's  yielding  wave,  and  rise,  I  trust,  to 
"  newness  of  life." 

When  our  readers  recall  the  experiences  of  Ann 
H.  Judson  at  Ava  and  Oung-pen-la — the  privations, 
the  small-pox,  the  spotted  fever,  the  death  scene  at 
Amherst — and  reflect  that  through  all  she  was  faith- 
fully attended  by  this  Bengalee  servant,  who  often 
went  without  food  that  she  might  have  a  little,  they 
also  will  rejoice  that  after  some  years  from  her  death 
he  broke  the  iron  bands  that  held  him  to  the  false 
prophet  and  embraced  the  Savior  she  had  commended 
to  him.  Verily,  "one  soweth  and  another  reapeth," 
and  both  rejoice  together. 

Another  shadow  now  began  to  creep  over  her 
heart  and  home.  Little  children  had  come  to  glad- 
den her  eyes,  like  rays  of  morning  light,  yet  her  joy 
in  them  was  not  always  to  be  unmixed  with  the 
element  of  sorrow.  Two  are  necessary  to  make  the 
enjoyment    of    children    complete  —  a    father    and   a 


A   MEMORIAL.  131 

mother — and  now  the  father  seems  to  be  verging 
on  the  better  world.  For  six  months  he  had  been 
troubled  with  a  cough  that,  by  its  continuance,  was 
to  her  an  evident  premonition  of  consumption,  with 
which  she  had  already  had  such  sad  experience. 
With  the  cough  there  was  the  shortened  breath  and 
the  pain  in  the  side,  and,  following,  an  entire  failure 
of  voice  and  a  consequent  suspension  of  pastoral 
duties.  Finally  books  of  study  were  thrown  aside, 
and  a  sea  voyage  was  taken  as  the  last  resort. 

In  the  five  years  that  had  elapsed  since  her  last 
marriage  the  affections  had  greatly  matured,  being 
promoted  b}^  the  presence  of  the  little  ones  about 
her.  Life  in  a  single  place  had  come  to  seem  natu- 
ral— to  seem  like  life — and  her  home  permanent.  But 
those  symptoms — how  ominous  of  the  truth  that  here 
man  has  no  continuing  city !  How  precarious  the  ten- 
ure to  life,  with  malady  in  the  lungs  and  treacherous 
waters  beneath  the  feet !  Should  it  be  thought 
strange  that,  with  the  gloomy  prOvSpect  and  the 
memory  of  the  past  before  her,  her  eyes  should  be- 
come a  fountain  of  tears !  In  depicting  the  circum- 
stances however,  her  first  letter  to  her  absent  hus- 
band gives  not  only  an  occasion  for  others'  sympa- 
thy, but  likewise  a  glimpse  of  the  beautiful  in  a 
true  domestic  life: 

"  As  soon  as  you  left  the  house  I  ran  to  your 
dressing-room  and  watched  you  from  the  window. 
But  you  did  not  look  up — oh,  how  I  wished  you 
would !  Then  I  hastened  to  the  back  veranda  and 
caught  one  last  glimpse  of  you  through  the  trees; 
*  *  *  and  I  gave  vent  to  my  feelings  in  a  flood 
of  tears. 


132  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

"Then  the  children  came  around  me,  asking  to  go 
to  the  wharf,  and  the  women  looked  their  wishes ;  and 
though  I  said  '  no '  to  the  httle  ones,  I  could  not  deny 
the  others.  After  they  were  gone  I  took  all  three  of 
our  darlings  into  your  own  little  room,  told  them  why 
you  had  gone  away,  and  asked  Abby  Ann  and  Ado- 
niram  if  they  wished  me  to  ask  God  to  take  care  of 
papa  while  he  was  gone.  They  said  '  yes ;'  and  so 
I  put  Elnathan  down  on  the  floor  to  play,  and  kneel- 
ing beside  the  other  two,  committed  3^ou  and  ourjfelves 
to  the  care  of  our  Heavenly  Father."  After  mention- 
ing the  return  of  the  Burman  women  from  the  wharf, 
she  speaks  of  other  prayers ;  and  in  this  connection 
adds,  "  I  never  heard  more  appropriate  petitions  from 
the  native  Christians.  They  prayed  for  you,  for  me, 
and  for  the  children,  in  just  such  a  manner  as  I  wished 
them  to  pray.  Mah  Klah  and  Mah  Tee  could  scarce 
proceed  for  sobs  and  tears.  Oh  !  who  would  not  pre- 
fer the  sincere,  disinterested  love  of  these  simple, 
warm-hearted  Christians,  to  all  the  applause  and  adu- 
lation of  the  world,  or  even  to  the  more  refined  but 
too  often  selfish  regard  of  our  equals  in  mental  culti- 
vation and  religious  knowledge !  Ko  Man-boke  says 
he  has  only  one  request  to  make,  and  that  is,  if  you 
must  die,  he  begs  you  will  come  back  to  Maulmain, 
and  die  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples  who  love  you 
so  dearly. 

"  How  sweet  is  the  thought  that  when  you  go  into 
the  presence  of  God  you  always  pray  for  me  and  for 
our  dear  children !  We  have  family  worship  morn- 
ings in  the    sleeping-room.     Abby  and  Pwen*  kneel, 

*  Pwen,  a  flower.     A  name  given  to  Adoniram  by  the  natives. 


A    MEMORIAI,.  133 

one  on  each  side  of  me,  and  after  I  have  read  and 
prayed  I  teach  them  the  Lord's  prayer.  I  make  them 
repeat  it  distinctly-,  only  two  or  three  words  at  a  time. 
They  both  sit  at  the  table  with  me,  Pwen  occupying 
his  beloved  father's  place.  But  thCvSe  things  do  not 
beguile  my  loneliness.  Oh,  when  shall  I  see  you 
again,   here,   in  your  old  seat? 

"  Your  little  daughter  and  I  have  been  praying  for 
you  this  evening.  She  is  now-  in  bed,  and  I  am  sit- 
ting by  my  study-table,  where  I  spend  all  my  time 
after  evening  worship,  except  what  is  devoted  to  the 
children.  I  wish,  my  love,  that  you  would  pray  for 
one  object  in  particular — that  I  may  be  assisted  in 
communicating  divine  truth  to  the  minds  of  these 
little  immortals.  -'^  '''  *  At  times  the  sweet  hope 
that  you  will  soon  return,  restored  to  perfect  health, 
buoys  up  my  spirit ;  but  perhaps  you  will  find  it  nec- 
essary to  go  farther,  a  necessity  from  which  I  cannot 
but  shrink  with  doubt  and  dread ;  or  you  may  come 
back  only  to  die  with  me.  This  last  agonizing 
thought  crushes  me  down  in  overwhelming  sorrow. 
I  hope  I  do  not  feel  unwilling  that  our  Heavenly 
Father  should  do  as  He  thinks  best  with  us ;  but  my 
heart  shrinks  from  the  prospect  of  living  in  this  sin- 
ful, dark,  friendless  world  without  you.  But  I  feel 
that  I  do  wrong  to  anticipate  sorrows.  God  has 
promised  strength  only  for  to-day ;  and,  in  infinite 
mercy,  He  shuts  the  future  from  our  view.  I  know 
that  there  is  small  ground  for  hope — few  ever  recover 
from  your  disease ;  but  it  may  be  that  God  will  restore 
you  to  health  for  the  sake  of  His  suffering  cause." 

After  an  absence  of  nearly  two  months  Dr.  Judson 


134  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

returned  to  his  home  and  labors  at  Maulmain,  with 
health  much  improved;  yet  the  work  was  retarded 
by  his  absence  and  by  inability  to  preach,  extending 
through  a  period  of  ten  months.  Mrs.  Judson  con- 
tinued her  work  as  best  she  could,  though  much  in- 
terrupted by  the  afflidlion  mentioned  and  the  excess  of 
cares  arising  from  it.  Her  literary  labor  suffered  most 
embarrassment,  since  domestic  duties  and  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  interests  of  the  little  church  naturally  re- 
ceived preference.  Still,  she  accomplished  considerable 
on  a  translation  of  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  and 
the  preparation  of  Questions  on  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  in  Burmese,  for  the  use  of  Bible  Classes  and 
Sabbath  Schools. 

With  the  dawn  of  the  year  1840,  another  birth 
having  occurred  in  the  home,  she  w^as  the  happy 
mother  of  four  children;  and  thus  she  was  severely 
taxed  with  her  family  cares,  literary  labors  and  such 
work  through  the  community  as  her  position  seemed 
to  require.  Yet  her  ability  for  doing  much  and  with 
facility  was  wonderful.  Dr.  Judson,  when  visiting  her 
parents  and  talking  over  their  severe  bereavement, 
made  the  remark :  "  It  was  a  wonder  to  me  how  she 
could  accompHsh  so  much,  and  in  so  many  ways.  She 
would  sit  with  one  child  in  her  arms,  another  by  her 
side,  and  translate  and  write  at  the  same  time."  Thus 
she  solved  the  problem  of  her  girlhood,  "  How  to  make 
the  most  of  life."  And  Dr.  Judson  speaks  of  her  Hn- 
guistic  attainments  and  work  as  being  of  the  very 
highest  excellence.  She  had  ready  and  full  command 
of  the  Burmese,  none  surpassing  her  either  in  speak- 
ing or  in  writing  it. 


A    MEMORIAL.  135 

The  responsibilities  now  resting  on  her  as  a 
mother,  particularly  with  regard  to  the  health  of  her 
growing  family,  were  quite  weighty.  To  rear  the 
children  in  a  tropical  climate  and  escape  the  diseases 
of  the  country  was  not  to  be  expected,  and  how  to 
manage  the  complaints  so  as  to  save  life  was  a  problem 
of  no  small  magnitude.  Quite  early  that  dire  disease 
of  the  tropics,  dysentery,  began  to  seize  the  little  ones, 
as  well  as  the  mother,  and  the  emergency  was  upon 
her  in  its  worst  reality.  She  was  quite  suddenly  pros- 
trated ere  they  were  through  a  severe  spell,  and  "the 
dear  sisters  of  the  mission  came  to  give  her  a  last  look 
and  pressure  of  the  hand,  for  she  was  too  far  gone  to 
speak." 

On  recovering,  partially,  she  accepted  an  invitation 
of  an  English  officer  to  pass  the  hot  season  with  his 
family  on  the  sea  shore  at  Amherst.  But  on  returning 
she  found  herself  in  worse  condition  than  when  she 
went  away,  and  the  exigency  was  greater  than  ever. 
The  physician  now  decided  that  a  sea  voyage  was  im- 
peratively necessary;  and  the  entire  famil}-.  Dr.  Jud- 
son  being  needed  as  nurse,  early  embarked  for  Cal- 
cutta. There  were  "perils  of  waters,"  as  well  as 
dangers  on  land,  and  of  these  Mrs.  Judson  speaks; 

"  We  had  been  out  only  four  days  when  we  struck 
on  shoals,  and  for  about  twenty  minutes  were  expect- 
ing to  see  the  large,  beautiful  vessel  a  wreck ;  and  then 
all  on  board  must  perish,  or  at  best  take  refuge  in  a 
small  boat,  exposed  to  the  dreary  tempests.  I  shall 
never  forget  my  feelings  as  I  looked  over  the  side  of 
the  vessel  that  night,  on  the  dark  ocean,  and  fancied 
ourselves  with  our  poor  sick  and  almost  dying  chil- 


136  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

dren  launched  on  its  stormy  waves.  The  captain 
tacked  as  soon  as  possible,  and  the  tide  rising  at  the 
time,  we  were  providentially  delivered  from  our  ex- 
treme peril." 

Her  biographer  further  states : 

"  On  reaching  their  destination,  it  was  thought  ad- 
visable to  take  a  house  at  Serampore,  in  preference  to 
Calcutta ;  but  even  here,  she  says,  '  The  weather  was 
very  unfavorable.  At  one  time  it  was  so  oppressively 
hot  that  we  could  scarcely  breathe,  and  the  next  hour 
the  cold,  bleak  winds  would  come  whistling  in  at  the 
high  windows,  completely  chilling  the  poor  little  in- 
valids.' These  circumstances  were  certainly  far  from 
favorable  to  recovery,  and  medical  advisers  urged  the 
necessity  of  putting  to  sea  again.  Inquiries  were  ac- 
cordingly made  concerning  vessels  bound  for  the  Isle 
of  France,  but  they  were  at  first  very  unsatisfactory. 
Mrs.  Judson  continues  her  narrative :  '  That  same  day 
Captain  Hamlin,  of  the  ship  Ramsay,  called  to  see  us. 
He  was  a  pious  man  whom  we  had  before  seen ;  and 
though  he  had  not  the  slightest  intimation  of  our  wish 
to  go  to  Mauritius,  he  offered  us  a  passage  to  that  place, 
and  thence  to  Maulmain.  His  ship  was  to  sail  in  ten 
days.' 

"The  circumstances  did  not  admit  of  unnecessary 
delay.  The  ship  was  on  the  point  of  sailing,  and  Mrs. 
Judson,  with  her  first  slight  accession  of  strength,  was 
obliged  to  hasten  to  Calcutta  to  make  some  prepara- 
tions which  required  her  personal  superintendence. 
She  continues :  '  Accordingly  on  the  morning  of  the 
23d  I  went  with  the  two  older  children,  Abby  and 
Pwen,  on  board  the  boat.      Henry  w^as  as  well  as  he 


A   MEMORIAL.  137 

had  been  for  weeks,  and  we  had  never  thought  him 
dangerous.  As  for  Ehiathan,  we  considered  him  al- 
most well.  While  in  Calcutta  the  two  children  with 
me  grew  worse ;  Pwen,  in  addition  to  his  previous  ill- 
ness, being  seized  with  a  fever,  which  I  feared  would 
prove  fatal.  I  engaged  a  skillful  surgeon  and  he  soon 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  fever,  but  he  gave  me  little 
encouragement  in  either  of  their  cases.  He  said  a  sea 
voyage  was  their  only  chance,  and  if  we  could  manage 
to  keep  Pwen  from  getting  worse,  until  the  ship  should 
sail,  it  was  the  utmost  we  could  expect. 

"  *  During  these  trials,  I  heard  from  Serampore 
every  day,  and  the  accounts  were  for  some  time  favor- 
able. But  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  my  husband's 
note,  dated  the  day  before,  said  that  Henry  was  not 
so  well,  and  that  Elnathan  was  ill  with  fever,  appar- 
ently from  having  taken  sudden  cold.  I  determined 
to  leave  at  once  for  Serampore ;  but,  on  inquir}',  I  as- 
certained that  the  tide  would  not  turn  till  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  M3'  friends  begged  me  to  wait  till  the 
next  morning,  but  I  could  not  listen  to  their  entreaties, 
though  I  apprehended  no  real  danger  in  the  cases  of 
my  absent  little  ones.  At  sunset  I  put  Abby  and 
Pwen  to  bed  inside  the  boat,  and  took  my  drear}- 
watch  outside.  Oh,  what  a  long  and  desolate  night 
that  was  to  me  !  It  was  at  the  neap  tides ;  and  for  the 
last  four  or  five  miles  the  men  were  unable  to  row,  but 
pushed  the  boat  up  the  stream  with  long  bamboos. 
The  moon  was  setting,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
melancholy  feelings  which  crept  over  me,  while  I 
watched  the  long  shadows  of  the  trees  on  the  darken- 
ing waters.     My  anxiety  was  heightened  by  hearing 


138  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

poor  Pwen  cough  frequently,  as  though  he  had  taken 
cold.  The  fear  that  the  children  might  be  injured  by 
their  exposure  induced  me  to  oppose  every  proposition 
to  anchor,  and  also  to  urge  the  boatmen  onward  by 
every  means  in  my  power.  At  two  o'clock  we  reached 
home.  My  dear  husband  met  me  at  the  door,  and  as 
he  embraced  me  said :  '  Oh,  my  love,  you  have  come 
to  the  house  of  death  !' 

"  '  What !— oh,  what  is  it  ? 

"  '  Dear  little  Henry  is  dying.'  " 

He  died  the  following  night,  aged  eighteen  months, 
and  was  buried  in  the  mission  burying  ground. 

This  health-seeking  vo3^age  was  mostly  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  noble  Captain  Hamlin,  who  is  brought 
forward  conspicuously  in  the  various  accounts  of  it. 
It  w^as  fraught  with  great  interest,  for  the  period  in 
which  it  occurred,  on  account  of  the  dangers  made 
imminent  by  the  imperfect  shipping  and  the  oppor- 
tunities of  doing  good  that  were  furnished  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, not  less  than  for  its  importance  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  missionary  family. 

The  following  letter  and  sketch  from  the  first  of- 
ficer of  the  Ramsay  ("  Ancient  Mariner")  will  be  read 
with  interest,  especially  in  view  of  the  circumstances 
in  which  the  acquaintance  was  made.  The  writer,  now 
"in  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf"  of  life,  deems  himself 
happy  in  being  able  to  record  before  his  death,  his 
impressions  of  one  whose  appearance  and  character 
remain  with  him  as  a  pleasant  reality  and  a  blessed 
influence.  She  was  a  gleam  to  the  mariner  in  the 
Orient  that  he  would  not  willingly  lose  from  his  mem- 
ory.    His  name  will  be  found  in  Wayland's  Memoir 


A    MEMORIAL.  I39 

of  Judson,  volume  II,  page  186,  among  those  sub- 
scribed to  the  covenant  to  serve  the  Lord,  entered  in 
the  ship's  great  Bible.  He  was  the  author  of  the  ac- 
count of  the  Ramsay's  voyage  from  Calcutta,  written 
at  the  request  of  Rev.  John  Simpson,  compiler  of 
the  pamphlet  in  which  it  first  appeared : 

Thorntown.  Ind.,  Dec.  26,  1888. 
Rev.  W.  N.  Wveth,  D.  D. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Leisure  is  afforded  me  to-day  to  comph^ 
with  the  request  in  your  esteemed  favor  of  the  8th  inst.  As 
you  will  observe,  on  perusal  of  the  memoranda,  what  I  have 
to  communicate  is  but  little,  though  Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Judson  was 
a  shipmate  in  a  passage  from  Calcutta  to  Port  Louis,  Isle  of 
France,  and  from  thence  to  Maulmain.  As  you  will  be  aware, 
when  she  and  her  husband  embarked  with  us  in  Calcutta  they 
were  both  deeply  stricken  by  the  loss  of  their  youngest  boy ; 
and  two  of  the  other  three,  with  their  mother,  were  laboring 
under  that  fell  disease,  dysentery.  It  was  a  dernier  ressort, 
and  you  can  well  imagine  that  an  introduction  to  them  was 
simply  perfunctory  on  the  captain's  part.  Then  it  was  the 
commencement  of  the  stormy  monsoon  which,  together  with 
the  fearful  and  disastrous  passage  that  ensued,  made  my  op- 
portunities limited. 

I  received  the  Memorial  of  Ann  H.,  and  was  much  pleased 
with  its  perusal ;  and,  albeit,  the  prominent  features  in  her 
life's  history  were  familiar  to  me,  I  read  it  earnestly,  and  can 
not  help  thinking  that  in  this  form  and  price  it  will  be  read 
by  thousands  of  Christians  who  would  not  take  the  time  to 
read  through  a  large  tome.  If  my  recital  should  be  consid- 
ered tedious,  your  simply  gleaning  out  the  facts  will  not  be 
disapproved  by  Yours  in  the  blessed  hope, 

John  Xiven. 

By  a  reference  to  one  of  my  old  log-books,  kept  b}'  me 
whilst  chief  officer  of  ship  Ramsay,  lying  in  the  river 
Hoogl}',  off  Calcutta,  I   find  the   following  entry  :    "  Aug. 


140  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

15th,  1841  :  Dr.  Jiidson,  wife  and  three  children,  came  on 
board  as  passengers  with  ns  to  ^Mauritius,  and  from  thence 
to  Maulmain  in  British  Biirmah."  I  had  never  met  them 
in  person  before  this  time,  but  from  their  historj^  as  relat- 
ed to  me  by  my  commander  some  da5'S  previous,  I  was 
prepared  to  render  all  the  service  in  my  power  to  make 
their  sojourn  wnth  us  pleasant.  When  they  came  aboard, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  were  sad  and  jaded  ;  the  two  younger 
ones  still  laboring  under  the  same  disease  which  took  away 
their  brother.  Under  the  circumstances  their  minds  were 
in  no  humor  for  parade,  consequentl}^  my  introduction  to 
them  was  strictly  formal.  Having  consigned  them  to  the 
care  of  the  steward,  I  resumed  attention  to  the  man}'  duties 
pertaining  to  a  .ship  getting  ready  for  sea,  and  that,  too,  at 
a  time  of  j-ear  when  continued  gales  and  heav\'  seas  were 
the  rule  in  the  Bay  of  Bengal  during  the  south-west  mon- 
soon. 

Detained  bj^  adverse  winds  it  was  a  week  ere  we  sailed 
from  Saugur  Island  into  the  bay,  and  then  everj^  mile  we 
made  was  beating  against  head  winds  and  terrific  seas. 
Until  we  came  near  the  equator  we  had  a  succession  of 
gales,  so  much  so  that  one  afternoon  our  topmasts  and 
sails  dissolved  their  continuity  and  left  us  sans  cercmouie. 
As  a  natural  consequence  we  saw  little  of  the  Judsons, 
save  occasional  visits  from  the  Doctor  on  deck,  and  these 
were  limited  in  duration  as,  in  the  absence  of  a  nurse,  the 
whole  care  of  the  sick  family  devolved  on  the  stricken  pa- 
rents. But  with  the  advent  of  more  favorable  winds  and 
smoother  water,  Tvlrs.  Judson  and  the  two  eldest,  when  the 
sun  was  three  hours  from  the  meridian,  would  come  onto 
the  quarterdeck.  During  one  of  the  morning  visits,  having 
taken  .sights  for  longitude,  I  was  lingering  near  the  chil- 
dren, and  taking  a  quiet  view  of  Mrs.  Judson,  of  whom  I 
had  heard  so  much,  regarding  her  heroism  and  Christian 
fortitude,  when,  as  the  widow  of  the  devoted  George  Dana 


A    MEMORIAL.  141 

Boardman,  she  liad  essayed  to  continue  liis  work  amongst 
the  Burmans.  No,  it  was  no  idle  curiosity  that  led  me  to 
linger  near  her.  I  quickly  perceived  that  her  load  of  sor- 
row had  attenuated  a  frame  that  was  beautifully  formed ; 
the  wan  countenance  and,  I  had  almost  said,  the  expres- 
sionless though  mild  blue  eyes,  conveyed  to  me  a  world  of 
meaning.  Eventually  she  commenced  to  address  me  in 
the  usual  passenger  style,  of  our  passage  so  far  as  it  had 
gone,  as  to  whether  the  advent  of  this  weather  was  likely 
to  be  continuous ;  and,  with  a  feeble  attempt  at  a  smile, 
asked  me,  was  it  the  wont  for  .sailors  to  become  unusually 
happ3^  and  manifest  it  by  hilarious  singing  when  suffering 
disaster?  At  once  perceiving  she  alluded  to  the  merry 
songs  of  the  men  whilst  heaving  at  the  capstan  when  w^e 
were  dismasted,  I  replied  that  the  singing  on  the  occasion 
was  not  the  result  of  any  particular  happiness,  but  was  one 
of  the  modes  invented  by  early  navigators  to  keep  the  men's 
minds  diverted  and  occupied,  as  do  the  Canadian  boatmen, 
and  producing  a  concert  of  action  as  well  as  melody.  She 
quietly  observed  that  while  sailors  seem  to  lead  a  precari- 
ous life,  they  alwa3^s  seemed  happy,  and  thus  ended  our 
first  colloquy. 

The  weather  from  this  time  up  to  our  arrival  at  Port 
L,ouis  was  fine,  and  the  water  as  smooth  as  an  inland  lake, 
consequently  every  forenoon  this  devoted  woman  would 
bring  her  children  on  deck  for  a  sun  bath,  as  she  termed  it, 
and  I  gladlj-  thought  that  we  could  land  them  all  in  a  state 
of  convalescence.  One  forenoon,  not  being  on  dut3^  I 
went  on  the  quarterdeck  ostensibh'  to  air  ni}-  charts,  and 
found  the  most  favorable  localit}'  close  to  ]Mrs.  Judson  and 
her  children.  At  one  time  as  I  came  near  her,  apparently 
in  deep  thought,  endeavoring  to  enlist  a  conversation,  I  re- 
marked that  it  seemed  providential  that  we  were  experi- 
encing such  a  happy  change  in  the  weather.  Remaining 
silent,  as  if  abstracted  in  some  mental  problem,  I  sought 


142  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

to  break  the  silence  by  remarking  that  we  sailors  suffered 
in  like  manner  with  the  missionaries  in  this  particular: 
that  our  vocation  took  us  from  friends  and  home,  with 
all  its  amenities.  Apparently  assenting,  she  replied  in 
a  mild  tone :  "  We  have  had  trials,  sorrows,  bereave- 
ments and  incertitude  even  in  excess  of  those  pertaining 
to  a  missionar}'  life,  still  the  sublime  thought  of  winning 
and  saving  souls  more  than  compensates  for  its  privations 
and  separation  from  all  that  we  have  loved."  Suddenly  it 
seemed  as  if  a  halo  surrounded  the  expression  of  the  now 
lustrous  e3'es  when  she  impressively  said  :  "  Oh !  if  I  only 
could  know  that  my  son,  absent  in  America,  had  become 
converted  to  the  truth,  ni}-  happiness  would  be  complete." 

Whilst  I  looked  upon  her  earnest  face  and  rapidh^ 
thought  of  the  child  left  in  the  silent  tomb  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ganges,  with  her  two  youngest  children  battling 
against  insidious  disease,  I  could  not  help  soliloquizing,  as 
I  retired  to  my  cabin  :  "  w^hat  a  beautiful  mind,  approaching 
the  angelic,  she  must  have!  "  For  the  nonce,  seemingly 
considering  her  present  and  known  afflictions  as  light,  if 
by  any  means  her  absent  boy  should  be  converted !  And 
here,  by  the  way,  I  must  digress.  Forty  3'ears  after  this 
conversation,  the  writer,  at  his  home  in  Indiana,  was  be- 
guiling the  tedium  oi  a  winter  evening  by  reading  "  Stud- 
ies in  the  Mountain  Instruction."  As  I  read  and  retro- 
spected  into  this  episode  in  my  life's  hivStory,  nn-  e5'es 
became  dim  as  I  thought  how  this  sainted  mother's 
prayers  and  aspirations  had  been  answered,  and  the  world 
had  been  benefited  by  the  speech  and  pen  of  her  absent 
boy,  the  gifted  author.  Dr.  George  D.  Boardman,  whom  I 
have  never  seen,  but  whom  I  love. 

Frequently  after  this,  and  up  to  the  time  of  their  de- 
barkation in  October,  1841,  at  the  Mauritius,  we  had  con- 
versations ;  and  it  is  a  permanent  fact  on  my  mind  that  in 
all  these  talks  Christ  was  the  prominent  feature ;  nor  can 


A    MEMORIAL.  143 

I  recall,  in  all  oiir  colloquies  during  the  two  passages,  an 
irrelevant  word  or  an  idle  one. 

While  our  ship  remained  at  the  Isle  of  France,  she,  with 
her  husband  and  famil}-,  boarded  with  a  pious  family  in 
the  city  ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  advent  of  mission- 
aries, driven  from  Madagascar  by  the  reigning  sovereign, 
I  should  have  recorded  that  piety  was  an  unknown  quan- 
tity, almost,  amongst  the  citizens. 

We  remained  at  Port  Louis  until  November  i,  1841, 
when,  having  finished  our  lading  and  re-embarked  the 
Judsons,  w^e  sailed  for  INIaulmain.  As  the  weather  was 
fine,  as  a  rule,  and  the  sea  quiet,  we  enjoyed  the  commun- 
ion of  Mrs.  Judson  more  frequentl}',  as  the  children  were 
better  and  she  herself  was  stronger.  Dr.  Judson  obser\-ed 
evening  worship,  and  on  Lord's  Days,  with  a  marked  and 
happy  effect  upon  the  captain  and  crew.  W'hilst  we  re- 
mained in  the  harbor  of  INIaulmain  the  captain,  myself 
and  the  second  ofiicer  were  baptized  by  him  (December  12, 
1841)  at  the  tank  in  the  Missionary  Compound. 

I  visited  the  missionary  family  every  evening,  and,  now 
approaching  half  a  century  since,  I  look  upon  those  visits 
as  delightful  oases  in  my  life.  There  I  met  and  communed 
with  a  noble  band  of  brethren  and  sisters,  only  two  of 
whom  I  have  met  since — Brother  Osgood,  at  Lafayette, 
and  Brother  Hasw^ell  at  sea.  However,  I  know  that  they 
will  all  eventuall}'  go  home. 

Little  more  I  can  add,  only  that  coming  into  Saint  Hel- 
ena in  a  vessel  I  commanded,  in  the  month  of  October, 
1845,  I  learned  from  my  friend,  the  American  consul,  that 
about  a  month  previous  he  w^as  present  at  the  funeral  of 
Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Judson,  and  together  we  made  a  pilgrimage 
to  the  tomb,  situated  in  a  sheltered  nook  in  the  cemetery 
in  St.  James'  Valley,  something  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
landing  place.  It  seemed  a  loneU*  spot,  and  the  mount- 
ains inland  and  parallel  to  it  gave  the  place  a  weird  and 


144  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

solemn  look.  And  I  could  not  help  reflecting  that  this 
brave  woman's  fxtful  fever  was  over,  getting  sepulture  on 
the  grand  highway  to  India,  almost  midway  between  Africa 
and  America,  whilst  towering  above  her  lonely  bed  were 
mountains  rugged  and  grand,  serving  also  as  a  landmark 
to  the  toilers  of  the  sea  visiting  Saint  Helena. 

And  here  my  labor  of  love  terminates,  with  this  apos- 
trophe :  In  a  pilgrimage  which  has  extended  over  the 
three  score  and  tenth  j^ear,  never  have  I  known  any  one 
who  could  so  fascinate  and  interest  a  stranger,  and  that, 
too,  without  a  seeming  effort,  as  could  Sarah  B.  Judson, 
the  only  one  of  the  trinity  bearing  that  revered  name 
that  I  knew. 

J.N. 


A   MEMORIAL.  145 

XIV. 

^lln&XVe  ^op^^  — HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

And  many  an  Elim  rears  its  palm, 

With  wayside  spring  and  cheer  of  psalm — 

Foretokens  of  the  final  calm. 

Yea,  all  the  way  by  Love  cast  up 

Through  light  and  dark,  through  vale  and  slope, 

Has  rests  of  peace  and  joy  and  hope. 

E.  L.  E. — ''Stepping  Heavenward^ 

THERE  was  now  another  short  period  of  cahii. 
Sickness  had  abated,  leaving  the  number  of  the 
family  smaller  by  one,  and  life  in  the  mission  had  re- 
sumed its  wonted  course.  An  absence  of  nearly  five 
months  retarded  the  work,  Avhile  the  distressing  vicis- 
situdes through  which  the  workers  had  passed  were 
traceable  in  their  effects  upon  their  minds  and  hearts 
as  reall}'  as  upon  their  faces.  Still,  ''the  voyage,  bois- 
terous as  it  was,  proved  beneficial,  and  was  seconded 
by  the  bland  airs  of  the  Isle  of  France." 

The  following  extended  quotation  reveals  the 
woman  and  her  work  as  they  were  at  this  time  : 

"After  these  severe  trials  Mrs.  Judson  returned 
to  her  accustomed  labors,  walking  in  the  same  toil- 
some, unostentatious  path  as  before — writing,  translat- 
ing, teaching,  advising,  reproving,  encouraging,  and 
praying.  Thus  3'ears  passed  by  scarce  noted,  except 
upon  the  page  of  the  Recording  Angel.     Some  of  the 


146  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

literary  performances  of  this  closing  part  of  her  life 
are  thus  briefly  mentioned  by  her  husband :  Her 
translation  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  Part  L,  into 
Burmese,  is  one  of  the  best  pieces  of  composition 
which  we  have  yet  published.  Her  translation  of 
Mr.  Boardman's  *  Dying  Father's  Advice  '  has  be- 
come one  of  our  standard  tracts;  and  her  hymns  in 
Burmese,  about  twenty  in  number,  are  probably  the 
best  ill  our  Chapel  Hymn  Book — a  work  w^hich  she 
was  appointed  by  the  Mission  to  edit.  Beside  these 
works  she  published  four  volumes  of  Scripture 
Questions,  which  are  in  constant  use  in  our  Sab- 
bath schools. 

"It  has  been  remarked  that  the  translation  of  the 
Pilgrim's  Progress  into  an  Eastern  tongue  is  a  w^ork 
worth  living  for,  if  it  were  one's  only  performance. 
It  was  indeed  a  laborious  work — under  the  circum- 
stances exceedingly  laborious,  and  was  performed  as 
only  one  who  knew  and  loved  the  language  as  she 
did,  assisted  by  her  native  genius,  could  perform  it. 
She  also  contributed  some  valuable  articles  to  the 
Burmese  newspaper ;  and  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Ste- 
vens, its  able  conductor,  she  was  two  or  three  times 
called  upon  to  take  the  editorial  charge  of  it.  Her 
Sabbath  Cards,  with  the  breathings  of  her  devotional 
and  poetic  spirit  yet  warm  upon  their  surface,  (her 
last  dying  gift  to  the  Burman  church,)  circulated 
from  hand  to  hand ;  her  Scripture  Questions  furnish 
hundreds  of  bewildered  minds  with  a  clue  to  many 
a  fountain  bubbling  over  wdth  the  fresh  waters  of 
truth  and  wasdom ;  and  her  sweet  hymns  are  heard 
wherever    the    living  God   is  worshiped  throughout 


A   MEMORIAL.  I47 

this  heathen  land.  The  care  of  a  very  young  and  in- 
creasing family,  where  only  the  most  inefficient  serv- 
ice can  be  procured,  would  seem  quite  enough  to  oc- 
cupy all  of  a  mother's  attention  ;  but,  how  or  when 
none  knew,  she  managed  to  find  many  a  moment 
which  future  time  will  multiply  to  years  of  usefulness. 
"  The  inordinate  desire  for  posthumous  fame, 
which  is  made  so  poetical  by  those  who  wear  out 
their  lives  in  efforts  to  win  it,  is  really  scarce  less 
contemptible  than  any  other  utterly  selfish  passion — 
vanity,  or  even  avarice.  But  it  is  a  glorious  thought 
to  the  Christian  that  he  may  still  guide  the  falter- 
ing footsteps  of  a  brother  and  add  jewels  to  his  Mas- 
ter's crown,  when  his  voice  is  hushed  in  the  grave, 
and  his  mouldering  hand  lies  as  powerless  as  the 
dust  with  which  it  mingles.  And  doubly  sweet 
must  be  the  consolations  of  the  d3'ing  bed,  when 
the  glad  prospect  has  not  been  purchased  at  the 
expense  of  lowlier  daily  duties.  Such  duties  we 
have  seen  that  Mrs.  Judson  never  neglected,  and  even 
in  life  she  reaped  the  sweet  fruit  of  her  toils. 

'  None  knew  her  but  to  love  her. 
None  named  her  but  to  praise,' 

is  perhaps  the  shortest  mode  of  expressing  the  senti- 
ments that  are  heard  in  various  forms  from  many  a 
lip ;  and  this  estimate  is  by  no  means  confined  to  her 
own  countrywomen.  She  avoided  society  because  it 
interfered  with  important  pursuits,  and  not  from  any 
approach  to  asceticism ;  but  she  still  had  warm  friends 
beyond  the  pleasant  missionary  circle.  This  apprecia- 
tion and  love,  however,  was  not  her  sweetest  reward. 
"In  April,  1844,  she  thus  writes:  'The  state  of  re- 


148  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

ligion  is  now  very  interesting  in  the  Burman  church. 
It  wonld  do  your  heart  good  to  look  in  upon  our  little 
circle  of  praying  Burman  females.  So  humble,  so  de- 
vout, so  willing  to  confCvSS  their  faults  before  God  and 
before  one  another,  that  I  sometimes  think  Christians 
in  a  Christian  land  might  well  copy  after  them.  I 
think  they  do  strive  to  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  our 
blessed  Savior.  The  study  of  the  Scriptures  and 
social  prayer  seem  to  be  greatly  blessed  to  their 
souls.  Some  of  them  have  formed  themselves  into 
a  Bible  Class,  and  meet  with  me  once  a  week  for 
the  purpose  of  vStudying  the  Scriptures.  They  are 
now  examining  the  '  Life  of  Christ'  with  '  Questions' 
which  I  prepared  on  the  work  some  years  ago.  I 
think  it  does  my  own  soul  good  thus  to  ponder  over 
the  life  of  our  blessed  Lord.  This  Bible  Class  has  in- 
creased from  about  five  to  upward  of  fifteen  within 
the  last  few  months,  and  I  see  no  signs  of  the  num- 
ber diminishing.  Some  of  them  are  quite  elderly 
women  with  gray  hairs.  You  would  be  pleased  to 
see  them  with  their  spectacles  on,  sitting  in  a  circle, 
reading  the  life  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  con- 
versing with  each  other  respecting  their  duty.  One 
of  them,  upwards  of  seventy  years  old,  amused  me 
a  few  days  ago  by  saying  that  she  was  the  same  age 
of  my  little  daughter  Abby  Ann.  I  asked  her  what 
she  meant  by  that.  She  replied  that  she  was  con- 
verted the  year  that  Abby  Ann  was  born,  and  it  was 
not  till  then  that  she  began  to  live.' 

"  In  the  last  of  her  letters  that  I  have  in  my  posses- 
sion she  says :  '  It  is  nineteen  3^ears  last  month  since 
I  parted  with  you,  and  bade  adieu  to  my  native  land ; 


A    MEMORIAL  149 

and  I  can  say,  with  unfeigned  gratitude  to  God,  that 
amid  all  the  vicissitudes  through  which  I  have  been 
called  to  pass,  I  have  never  for  one  moment  regret- 
ted that  I  had  entered  the  missionar}-  field.  We  are 
not  weary  of  our  work — it  is  in  our  hearts  to  live  and 
die  among  these  people.  I  feel  conscious  of  being  a 
most  unworthy  and  unprofitable  servant;  and  I  often 
wonder  that  my  life  has  been  spared  while  so  many, 
to  human  view,  so  much  more  competent  than  my- 
self have  been  cut  down,  '  Even  so,  Father,  for  so 
it  seemeth  good  in  Thy  sight.' 

"  These  nineteen  years  had  of  necessity  wrought 
many  changes ;  but  they  were  like  the  changes  which 
autumn  perfects  in  the  fruit-buds  of  spring.  The  eye 
was  not  so  full  of  vivacity  as  formerly ;  and  there  was 
at  times  a  pensive  drooping  of  the  lid,  which  spoke 
of  familiarity  with  tears ;  but  they  were  not  tears  to 
dim  the  centred  light  of  a  quiet,  serene — I  had  almost 
said  Jioly — happiness.  The  cheek  had  lost  some  of  its 
roundness  and  the  skin  its  fairness ;  but  the  beauty  of 
the  ripening  spirit  had  gradually  stolen  out  upon  the 
face,  and  none  could  regret  the  exchange.  The  step 
was  not  quite  so  elastic  as  in  former  days,  but  it  had 
gained  in  freedom  and  stateliness;  and  though  the 
figure  exhibited  none  of  the  fragility  sometimes  mis- 
taken for  grace  of  outline  and  proportion,  there  was 
more  than  enough  to  compensate  in  the  full,  health- 
ful development,  seen  much  oftener  in  the  women  of 
England  than  those  of  America.  The  fresh-hearted 
maiden  was  transformed  into  the  wife  and  mother — 
the  teacher  of  little  bright-cheeked  New  England 
girls  was  the  guide  of  gray-haired  heathen   women, 


150  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

blinded  b}^  idolatry ;  but  she  was  fresh-hearted  still. 
Disappointment  had  passed  over  her,  but  it  had  left 
no  blight;  sorrow  had  wrung  tears  from  her  eyes, 
but  the}^  had  fallen  back  upon  her  spirit  a  fertilizing 
dew ;  trials  had  risen  in  her  path  like  flames  to  scorch 
and  wither,  but  she  meekly  bowed  her  heart  to  the 
Hand  that  sent  them,  and  so  they  consumed  only  the 
alloy  and  passed  away,  leaving  the  gold  purified  and 
burnished;  and  the  death  of  beloved  ones  had  only 
served  to  unlock  a  door  between  her  soul  and  heaven. 
Since  the  time  of  her  first  child's  death  her  course  had 
been  gradually  upward.  Her  life  had  increased  in  ho- 
liness and  her  spirit  in  meekness ;  for  she  had  grown 
familiar  with  the  one  spot  where  the  unquiet  human 
soul  may  find  rest — deep  in  the  shadow  of  the  Cross. 
The  first  impulse  of  life  in  the  vSpirit  of  the  3'oung 
Christian  was  as  the  quick,  joyous  up-shooting  of  the 
green  blade  in  spring.  Next,  her  course  through  the 
world  was  shaped — the  ear  of  corn  was  fashioned  and 
stood  in  the  field,  light,  graceful  and  frerh  in  summer 
verdure.  But  at  length  it  began  to  bow  beneath  the 
weight  of  its  own  wealth ;  the  green  sheath  gradually 
swelled  with  the  increasing  richness  of  its  treasure ; 
then  the  grain  grew  golden  with  ripeness ;  and  angel- 
reapers  stood  ready  to  dissever  the  drooping  stem,  and 
bear  home  the  perfected  fruit  to  the  harvest  of  glory." 
Some  ten  years  as  wife  of  Dr.  Judson  had  now 
been  passed,  and  the  course  of  her  life  seemed  well 
determined.  The  claims  of  her  familj^  the  demands 
of  the  mission,  extra  literary  labors,  and  a  broken  con- 
stitution— these  were  to  constitute  her  experience  and 
draw  upon  her  vitality  for  the  rest  of  the  way,  and  to 


A    MEMORIAL.  I51 

all  she  meekly  submitted.  The  sacred  ambition  to 
make  the  most  of  life  continued  in  all  its  ardor, 
when,  under  corresponding  circumstances,  most  per- 
sons would  have  succumbed.  She  acquiesced  in  the 
divine  disposing,  and  yet  held  up  and  on,  as  one  de- 
termined to  "finish"  her  course,  not  merely  to  end  it. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1845  Mrs.  Judson 
gave  symptoms  of  unusual  prostration.  The  disease 
that  attacked  her  soon  after  her  arrival  in  the  country 
had  persistently  dogged  her  steps,  and  now  it  seemed 
to  have  made  a  new  and  successful  assault.  Some- 
thing must  be  done  for  her,  and  very  soon.  In  a  land 
where,  and  at  a  time  when  expedients  were  few,  there 
appeared  to  be  nothing  untried  to  which  resort  might 
be  made.  Medical  skill  was  faithfully  applied  and 
proved  unavailing,  but  a  short  sea  voyage  sometimes 
had  been  beneficial. 

She  accepts  an  invitation  from  the  Commissioner 
of  Maulmain  to  accompany  his  family  on  an  excur- 
sion down  the  coast  to  Tavoy  and  Mergui.  She  was 
absent  about  six  weeks,  but  without  any  apparent  im- 
provement of  health;  in  fact.  Dr.  Judson  stated  that 
she  returned  weaker  and  nearer  the  grave  than  when 
she  set  out.  And  as  this  mode  of  health-seeking  was 
the  last  resort,  it  was  decided  that  the  test  be  more 
thoroughly  made ;  that  a  vo3'age  be  taken  beyond  the 
tropics.  Such  was  her  tenacit}'  to  life,  it  was  felt 
that  this  course  would  in  all  probability  insure  her 
recovery. 

And  now  there  came  the  thought  of  friends  and 
native  land.  To  the  complete  change  of  climate  that 
a  journey  home  would    furnish  there  would   be   an 


152  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

equally  radical  change  of  scene.  Some  loved  ones 
would,  indeed,  be  exchanged  for  other  loved  ones 
simply,  yet  friends,  connexions,  happy  country,  are  to 
one  of  the  number  who  has  been  absent  for  twenty 
years  a  source  of  joy  and  buoyancy  that  has  not  its 
equal  in  anything  else.  It  would  seem  that  the  mere 
prospect  of  returning  home  would  have  so  sustained 
the  soul  of  Mrs.  Judson  as  to  have  saved  her  from 
sinking.  Still,  nothing  except  considerations  of  health 
could  have  induced  her  to  leave  her  circle  of  dear  na- 
tive Christians  and  the  loved  employ  of  leading  others 
about  them  to  Christ. 

And  now  another  necessity  appears.  She  must  be 
accompanied  on  her  voyage,  and  by  some  one  who  can 
enter  sympathetically  into  her  trials  in  order  that  ef- 
forts for  the  removal  of  her  physical  ailment  may  be 
rendered  in  the  highest  degree  beneficial.  And  who 
should  it  be  if  not  her  husband  ?  He  felt  that  the  ne- 
cessity admitted  of  no  alternative.  She  w^as  very  weak, 
almost  helpless ;  and  she  w^as  his  wife,  and  the  mother 
of  his  children.  The  loss  of  his  time  in  the  mission 
was  to  him  a  great  trial,  but  the  loss  of  his  helpmeet, 
one  who,  as  he  testified,  spoke  and  wrote  the  Burmese 
tongue  more  acceptably  than  any  other  foreigner  of 
lier  time,  would,  in  an  economic  point  of  view,  be  still 
greater.  He  must  try  to  save  her  life,  submitting  to 
every  consideration  conducing  to  this  end. 

The  children  now  numbered  six.  The  older  ones 
required  a  change  to  a  northern  latitude,  ICvSt  the  imbe- 
cility so  probable  to  those  of  American  parentage,  born 
here,  come  upon  them.  But  a  division  of  the  family — 
the  leaving  of  some — how  could  this  be  borne !     The 


A   MEMORIAL.  153 

decision  was  made,  and  promptly;  the  three  oldest 
were  taken,  the  three  youngest  left.  The  embarkation 
on  the  ship  Paragon,  for  England,  took  place  April  26, 
1845.  Mrs.  Judson  was  borne  to  the  vessel,  while 
"both  fair  and  dusky  faces  circled  round;  and  long 
did  the  sound  of  those  loved,  farewell  voices,  half- 
smothered  in  grief  and  choked  with  tears,  dwell  upon 
her  ear  and  heart." 

It  was  doubtless  some  relief  to  the  mind  of  Mrs. 
Judson  that  her  husband's  time  was  to  be  economized 
by  means  of  two  competent  native  assistants,  who  had 
been  induced  to  accompany  them  on  the  passage  for 
this  purpose.  His  Burmese  dictionary  was  not  in  a 
state  of  forwardness  that  would  admit  of  a  suspension 
of  labor  upon  it  without  jeopardizing  the  entire  results 
of  the  work  of  years.  Hence,  it  was  his  purpose  to 
devote  to  it  some  hours  each  day,  whether  on  sea  or 
on  land,  with  their  aid. 

The  first  part  of  the  voyage  was  very  rough,  and 
the  family  suffered  much  from  seasickness;  and  Dr. 
Judson  was  much  occupied  in  caring  for  Mrs.  Judson. 
During  the  second  month  her  health  began  to  improve, 
and  the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  her  recovery  began  to 
be  entertained.  On  arriving  at  Port  Louis,  Isle  of 
France,  the  indications  of  returning  health  were  still 
better,  and  a  complete  change  of  plans  was  contem- 
plated. Dr.  Judson,  veteran  and  valorous  as  he  was, 
again  turned  his  face  from  the  land  of  his  birth,  the 
civilized  West,  to  the  land  of  his  adoption,  the  pagan 
East.  The  proof  of  loyalty  to  the  cause  he  espoused 
in  his  youth  was  now  clearer,  if  possible,  than  ever 
it  had  been.     And  it  was  not  to  be  imagined  that  his 


154  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

noble  wife,  characterized  by  the  finest  sensibilities, 
could  be  insensible  to  this  new  evidence  of  his  great- 
ness. 

They  were  detained  on  the  island  about  three 
weeks,  during  which  time  hope  and  despair  alternated 
in  sad  succession.  Calculations  were  made  for  the 
return  of  Dr.  Judson  to  Maulmain — the  plan  being  en- 
couraged by  the  early  departure  of  a  ship  for  that  port 
— and  for  the  continuance  of  Mrs.  Judson  and  the  chil- 
dren on  the  voyage  to  America  by  another  and  better 
vessel  that  would  hasten  their  arrival.  The  separation 
now  at  hand  was  not  altogether  without  its  alleviating 
features.  The  family  would  be  evenly  divided;  the 
father  with  three  children  and  the  mother  with  three, 
with  attendant  benefits  to  all.  But  the  sadness  of  the 
necessary  division  still  remained,  while  the  trial  was 
somewhat  sharpened  by  the  fact  that  an  ocean  must 
roll  between  the  parents  for  a  considerable  period,  and 
perhaps  forever. 

It  was  at  this  juncture,  and  while  improved  health 
was  imparting  to  her  mind  renewed  vivacity,  that 
Mrs.  Judson  wrote  the  most  remarkable  poem  of  her 
lifetime.  Her  heart  sought  an  utterance  without  a 
thought  of  the  great  world.  She  wished  to  inspire 
a  single  soul,  weighed  down  by  cares  and  longing  for 
the  regeneration  of  a  nation,  with  such  a  holy  cheer 
that  he  could  sacrifice  "  the  music  of  his  only  daugh- 
ter's voice,"  ''  the  merry  shout  of  his  elder  boys,"  and 
the  presence  of  his  lyove  for  many  a  year,  if  necessar5^ 
that  the  great  and  glorious  end  of  his  existence  might 
be  achieved. 

Her  verses  were  intended  for  immediate  effect,  not 


A    MEMORIAL.  irr 

for  posthumous  fame.  But  the  world  will  not  permit 
them  to  die.  "  Penciled  on  a  scrap  of  broken  paper," 
and  the  last  words  ever  traced  by  her  fingers,  the}-  re- 
curred to  her  husband  with  wonderful  power,  and^  are 
read  with  tearful  interest  by  the  Christian  world  : 

"We  part  on  this  green  islet,  Love— 
Thou  for  the  Eastern  main, 
I  for  the  setting  sun,  Lov*^ 
Oh,  when  to  meet  again 

**  My  heart  is  sad  for  thee.  Love, 
For  lone  thy  way  will  be ; 
And  oft  thy  tears  will  fall.  Love, 
For  thy  children  and  for  me. 

"  The  music  of  thy  daughter's  voice 
Thou'lt  miss  for  many  a  year ; 
And  the  merry  shout  of  thine  elder  boys 
Thou'lt  list  in  vain  to  hear. 

"When  we  knelt  to  see  our  Henry  die. 
And  heard  his  last  faint  moan, 
Kach  wiped  the  tear  from  other's  eye- 
Now  each  must  weep  alone. 

"  My  tears  fall  fast  for  thee,  Love- 
How  can  I  say  farewell  ? 
But  go  ;— thy  God  be  with  thee,  Love, 
Thy  heart's  deep  grief  to  quell ! 

"  Yet  my  spirit  clings  to  thine,  Love, 
Thy  soul  remains  with  me, 
And  oft  we'll  hold  communion  sweet, 
O'er  the  dark  and  distant  sea. 

"And  who  can  paint  our  mutual  joy, 
When,  all  our  wanderings  o'er, 
We  both  shall  clasp  our  infants  three, 
At  home  on  Burmah's  shore. 


156  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

"  But  higher  shall  our  raptures  glow, 

On  yon  celestial  plain, 
When  the  loved  and  parted  here  below 

Meet,  ne'er  to  part  again. 

"Then  gird  thine  armor  on,  Love, 
Nor  faint  thou  by  the  way 
Till  Boodli  shall  fall,  and  Burmah's  sons 
Shall  own  Messiah's  sway." 

These  lines,  however,  proved  to  be  but  as  a  special, 
a  parting  ray  from  a  star  soon  to  pass  forever  to  an- 
other sphere.  The  beautiful  spirit  was  to  enjoy  the 
restoration  of  her  original  brilliancy  long  enough  to 
enable  her  to  bestow  a  benediction  on  the  object  of 
her  admiration,  then  she  was  to  sleep,  and  to  awake 
in  a  still  higher  likeness.  She  was  to  part  with  her 
"  lyove,"  that  she  might  rest  from  her  labors. 

Before  the  time  set  for  departure  from  the  island 
Mrs.  Judson  experienced  an  alarming  relapse,  which 
frustrated  all  the  new  and  now  cherished  purposes. 
She  was  reduced  lower  than  ever  she  had  been,  and 
Dr.  Judson  soon  saw  that  he  could  not  leave  her. 
Nothing  but  the  prosecution  of  the  voyage  as  origi- 
nally arranged  could  be  contemplated;  except  that  a 
change  of  vessels,  from  the  Paragon,  which  was  unsea- 
worthy,  to  the  Sophia  Walker,  bound  to  the  United 
States,  w^as  found  to  be  important  and  was  made.  The 
Burmese  assistants  returned,  and  the  afflicted  family* 
re-embarked  for  "  the  setting  sun,"  sailing  from  Port 
Louis  on  the  25th  of  July. 


A   MEMORIAI,.  157 

XV. 

^^Cttlf  0    ^^XVC^X—THE  BURIAL. 

"Ah!  through  how  many  clifTerent  graves 
God's  children  go  to  Him  !  " 

Heaven  must  be  sweet  after  all  these  things. 

A.  JUDSON. 

AFTER  being  on  the  deep  for  a  time,  Mrs.  Judson 
-  again  gave  signs  of  convalescence,  especially  dur- 
ing the  cool  weather  enjoyed  off  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
But  appearances  again  proved  delusive.  The  recent 
prostration  left  effects  from  which  she  could  not  fully 
recover.  Though  sometimes  a  little  better,  she  mani- 
fested a  gradual  decline  ;  and  as  the  ship  neared  the 
island  of  St.  Helena  it  became  apparent  that  the  goal 
of  her  life  was  also  ver}^  near. 

The  vessel  entered  St.  James'  Ba}-,  and  there,  in  the 
stillness  of  its  anchorage,  protracted  for  some  days, 
Mrs.  Judson  was  permitted  to  breathe  out  her  life  qui- 
etly, and  enter  the  haven  of  Eternal  Rest.  She  ob- 
tained her  release  before  the  time  for  weighing  anchor, 
and  so  found  a  firm  and  recognizable  resting  place  in 
the  "  Rock  of  the  Sea,"  with  honorable  obsequies.     • 

As  the  hour  of  death  drew  near,  and  she  became 
fully  conscious  of  its  nearness,  she  began  to  feel  the 
disappointment  of  not  reaching  her  old  home,  after 
twenty  years'  exile,  and  after  journeying  so  far  toward 


158  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 

it.  Still  her  sufferings  were  so  protracted,  and  the  Sav- 
ior and  His  future  presence  so  precious  to  her  view, 
she  felt  that  she  was  really  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  and 
could  only  say,  "  let  the  will  of  God  be  done."  She 
thought  of  her  children  continually,  and  spent  much 
time  in  praying  for  their  early  conversion.  On  her 
last  evening  the  three  that  were  present  took  leave  of 
their  mother  and  retired,  while  Dr.  Judson  sat  by  the 
dying  embers,  ministering  to  the  remaining  spark 
until  it  fell  away  and  expired.  At  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  adieu  was  taken,  the  token  of  recognition 
exchanged,  and  at  three  o'clock  she  was  not,  for  God 
had  taken  her.    The  event  occurred  September  i,  1845. 

Dr.  Judson  prepared  the  corpse  for  burial,  then, 
exhausted  by  ceaseless  watching,  threw  himself  down 
and  slept.  On  awaking,  he  first  saw  the  children 
standing  about  the  body  of  their  mother,  weeping.  It 
was  the  last  of  earth — they  were  motherless. 

Rev.  Jas.  McGregor  Bertram,  an  independent  Prot- 
estant missionary  of  the  island,  had  but  just  begun 
his  work;  and  in  the  flush  of  his  ardent  "protest" 
against  the  barren  clericalism  of  the  Established 
Church,  he  zealously  and  lovingly  sympathized  with 
all.  To  him  Dr.  Judson  sent  his  Christian  regards, 
through  the  American  Consul,  with  a  request  that  he 
would  come  aboard  the  vessel,  as  he  was  very  desirous 
to  see  him.  Mr.  Bertram,  of  course,  had  long  since 
heard  of  Dr.  Judson,  and  had  come  to  regard  him  very 
highly  as  a  hero  in  missions,  and  he  hastened  to  him 
"  with  a  heart  full  of  painful  sympathy."  As  he  neared 
the  ship  he  perceived  several  of  the  crew  approaching 
the  gang-way,  with  sorrow  depicted  on  their  counte- 


A    MEMORIAL.  159 

nances.  The  captain  gave  him  welcome,  and  after  a 
few  touching  hints  conducted  him  to  the  cabin  where 
he  was  for  the  first  time  introduced  to  the  missionary. 
Dr.  Judson  held  out  his  hand,  but  for  a  moment  his 
heart  was  too  deeply  affected  for  speech.  He  looked 
pale  and  careworn.  The  bitter  tears  flowed  down  his 
cheeks  as  the  deep  anguish  of  his  soul  was  felt  afresh. 

Such  a  touching  scene  has  seldom  been  witnessed 
in  this  world.  With  him  stood  his  three  small  chil- 
dren, weeping  and  refusing  to  be  comforted  because 
she  whom  they  loved  awakened  not  at  their  call.  It 
was  death!  —  perhaps  their  first  vivid  realization  of 
the  doing  of  the  last  enemy.  On  their  account,  espe- 
cially, he  found  it  difficult  to  recover  self-control,  and 
when  regained  he  first  spoke  to  them  "  in  the  sweetest 
manner,  and  in  the  most  consoling  language  a  Chris- 
tian father's  lips  could  utter."  Then  turning  to  Mr. 
Bertram  he  said : 

"  O,  sir,  she  died  in  the  Lord — so  peacefully.  I 
asked  her,  but  a  little  before  she  died,  if  she  loved  the 
Savior,  and  could  trust  her  soul  into  his  hands.  She 
answered,  '  Yes,  O,  yes.'  Come,  Mr.  Bertram,  will  you 
look  at  my  love  ?  She  is  just  like  herself,  lovely  even 
in  death." 

He  then  led  him  into  the  stateroom,  where  la}^  her 
cold  remains.  A  sweet  smile  of  love  seemed  to  rest 
on  her  countenance,  as  if  heavenly  grace  had  stamped 
it  there.  Mr.  Judson  stood  at  her  head,  and  the  chil- 
dren around  her,  weeping  and  sobbing.  He  kissed 
her  cold  forehead  again  and  again,  bedewing  it  with 
tears.  After  a  few  moments  he  said  that  she  suffered 
much,  but  never  murmured ;  adding,  "  I  did  all  for  her 


l6o  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

myself;  dressed  and  laid  her  out  myself.  This  was  her 
own  request.  To  me  it  was  a  painful  duty,  but  God 
sustained  me." 

He  informed  Mr.  Bertram  that  arrangements  had 
been  made  for  the  funeral  to  take  place  at  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  and  requested  him  to  attend  and  con- 
duct the  services  on  board  the  vessel.  Mr.  B.  went  on 
shore  and  summoned  all  the  Christians  in  the  vicinity 
to  assemble  at  the  wharf  at  3  :  30  p.  m.,  and  then  re- 
turning to  the  ship  remained  with  the  sorrowing  until 
afternoon.  At  the  hour  for  the  funeral  to  occur,  the 
captain  called  together  all  the  friends  who  were  on 
board,  and  all  the  hands  of  the  ship  who  could  be 
spared  from  duty.  After  the  customary  exercises  the 
stateroom  was  again  visited  and  a  last  look  of  the  de- 
ceased was  taken.  The  bereaved  husband  and  weep- 
ing children  fastened  their  eyes  upon  the  loved  remains 
as  if  they  could  have  looked  forever.  Weeping,  kiss 
after  kiss  was  imprinted  on  the  cold  forehead;  and 
when  it  became  necessary  to  withdraw,  the  coffin  was 
closed  and  the  body  removed  to  the  boat  which  was  to 
convey  i^  to  the  shore. 

A  flotilla  was  formed  between  the  ship  and  the 
shore,  making  a  strangely  sad  spectacle — three  going 
in  front,  towing  the  one  that  contained  the  corpse,  and 
another  following  in  which  were  the  family,  the  cap- 
tain and  Mr.  Bertram  as  chief  mourners.  In  the  hush 
of  human  voices  the  plying  oars  rendered  the  requiem. 
On  the  shore  a  number  of  Christians,  men  and  women, 
with  Mr.  Carrol,  the  American  Consul,  and  his  family 
and  friends,  awaited  to  join  the  procession. 

The  body,  having  been  transferred  from  the  boat  to 


A   MEMORIAL.  l6l 

the  bier,  was  borne  forward  by  a  number  of  seamen, 
while  four  '*  chief  women"  of  the  island,  all  Chris- 
tians, and  all  but  one  waves  of  officers,  served  as  pall- 
bearers. The  procession  having  been  organized  in  the 
usual  wa}',  and  numbering  about  one  hundred,  took  up 
its  circuitous  march  through  the  defile  in  which  the 
town  of  St.  James  is  located,  to  the  burying-ground 
half  a  mile  or  more  from  the  landing.  The  inhabit- 
ants paid  their  respects  by  closing  their  shops.  The 
street  was  considerably  lined  wdth  spectators,  who 
must  have  knowm  the  mournful  details,  and  not  have 
been  excited  merely  by  the  rarity  of  the  occasion. 

At  the  grave  the  burial  service  of  the  Church  of 
England  was  read,  the  body  lowered  and  a  solemn 
hymn  sung.  Dr.  Judson,  supported  by  Mr.  Bertram, 
seemed  at  times  quite  evercome  and  ready  to  give 
way ;  yet,  lifting  his  heart  to  God  for  strength,  he 
was  enabled  to  pass  through  the  trial.  And  after  the 
friends  had  withdrawn,  he  with  the  children  lingered 
about  the  "  narrow  house"  as  if  reluctant  to  leave  the 
beloved  wife  and  mother  to  such  a  cheerless  abode. 
The  grave,  however,  is  in  one  of  the  choicest  spots  of 
the  cemetery — a  banj-an  tree  spreading  its  branches 
over  it  as  if  to  guard  the  precious  treasure  that  lies  be- 
neath. And  at  its  side  is  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Chater,  mis- 
sionary from  Ceylon,  who  died  in  similar  circumstances. 

This  recital  recalls  the  tender,  appreciative  lines  of 
H.  S.  Washburn,  written  at  about  the  time  of  the 
melancholy  event : 

"  Mournfully,  tenderly, 
Bear  onward  the  dead  ; 
Where  the  warrior  has  lain, 
Let  the  Christiar.  l)e  laid; 


1 62  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

No  place  more  befitting, 
Oh,  rock  of  the  sea ! 
Never  such  treasure 
Was  hidden  in  thee ! 

"  Mournfully,  tenderly, 
Solemn  and  slow — 
Tears  are  bedewing 
The  path  as  ye  go; 
Kindred  and  strangers 
Are  mourners  to-day; — 
Gently — so  gently — 
Oh,  bear  her  away, 

"  Mournfully,  tenderly, 
Gaze  on  that  brow ; 
Beautiful  is  it 
In  quietude  now ! 
One  look — and  then  settle 
The  loved  to  her  rest, 
The  ocean  beneath  her, 
The  turf  on  her  breast. 

"  So  have  ye  buried  her — 
Up ! — and  depart 
To  life  and  to  duty, 
With  undismayed  heart ! 
Fear  not ;  for  the  love 
Of  the  stranger  will  keep 
The  casket  that  lies 
In  the  Rock  of  the  deep. 

Peace,  peace  to  thy  bosom. 
Thou  servant  of  God ! 
The  vale  thou  art  treading 
Thou  hast  before  trod ; 
Precious  dust  thou  hast  laid 
By  the  Hopia  tree, 
And  treasure  as  precious 
In  the  Rock  of  the  sea." 


A   MEMORIAL.  163 

On  retiring  from  the  grave  the  afflicted  family- 
was  conducted  to  a  home  near  by,  where  rehgious 
converse  and  prayer,  followed  with  tea,  engaged  the 
attention  of  all  to  the  time  of  the  call  for  embarka- 
tion. Dr.  Judson,  as  at  the  close  of  the  funeral  of 
little  Maria,  at  Amherst,  rose  above  his  distresses,  and 
finally  stood  and  addressed  the  company  concerning 
the  goodness  of  God  in  alleviating  the  circumstances 
under  which  he  had  buried  his  dead,  as  compared  with 
what  he  had  anticipated.  Thanking  all  for  their  S3'm- 
pathy'and  requesting  prayers  for  himself  and  family,  he 
entrusted  the  grave  to  the  care  of  the  consul  and  the 
missionary,  desiring  Mr.  Bertram  often  to  look  upon 
it  as  he  himself  would  do.  Then  being  conducted  to 
the  ship  he  sailed  in  the  evening,  bearing  away  a  most 
tender  and  tearful  remembrance  of  his  experience  at 
St.  Helena.  Next  morning  he  turned  his  eyes  toward 
the  lone  rocky  isle,  but  it  could  not  be  seen.  Only  in 
memory  was  he  thereafter  to  visit  the  sacred  place 
where  the  missionary  of  the  Cross,  one  of  the  first  of 
w^omen  and  best  of  wives,  had  found  such  honorable 
sepulture  at  the  hands  of  strangers. 


[64  SARAH    B.   JUDSON. 


XVI. 

31  ^onXXiX^X— MISSIONARY— EMPEROR. 

And  yet  remember 
That  God  and  our  good  cause  fight  upon  one  side. 

Shakspeare. 

"  O  germ,  O  fount,  O  word  of  Love  ! 
O  thought  at  random  cast. 
Ye  were  but  little  at  the  first, 
But  mighty  at  the  last." 

Stilled  and  astir,  and  checked  and  never  ceasing, 
Spreadeth  the  great  wave  of  the  grace  of  God. 

F.  Myers—"  St.  Pauir 

ABOUT  five  years  previous  to  Mrs.  Judson's  burial 
-  the  remains  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  were  re- 
moved from  St.  Helena  to  France.  Now  a  soldier  in  a 
different  cause  is  providentially  laid  in  this  "  Rock  of 
the  Deep."  His  place  of  sepulture  was  selected  by 
himself,  hers  by  the  followers  of  Jesus;  his  about 
three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  sea,  hers  but  a  short 
distance  in  the  same  course.  He  in  death,  as  in  life, 
appears  "in  the  solitude  of  his  own  originality;  "  she 
in  the  silent  company  of  the  blest,  wnth  the  affections 
of  the  Christian  world  resting  upon  her.  His  empty 
tomb  and  the  plucked  willow  tree  by  it  are  but  the 
emblems  of  a  vacant  throne  and  despoiled  plumes, 
stripped  to  decorate  unfriendly  homes ;  while  hers,  un- 
der heavenly  guard,  and  shaded  by  the  affluent  banyan, 
awaits  the  rising  call  of  the  King  of  Kings,  to  whom 


A    MEMORIAL.  165 

it  will  give  up  the  treasure  in  its  keeping.  The  future 
of  Napoleon — ah,  let  no  one  seek  to  penetrate  the  veil ! 
But  with  unwavering  hope  may  we  await  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Bridegroom,  who  shall  come  out  of  his 
chamber  to  receive  the  faithful  missionary  as  his  own, 
that  she  may  walk  with  him  in  white. 

The  following  verses  from  an  unknown  author, 
treasured  up  these  many  years  by  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Edwards,  and  kindly  furnished  for  this  volume,  will 
at  least  stimulate  to  profitable  reflection  : 

ST.  HELENA. 

LINES  WRITTEN  AFTER   READING  THE   MEMOIRS  OF   THE 
SECOND   MRS.   JUDSON. 

'Tis  holy  ground,  that  rocky  isle 

In  the  lone,  blue  eastern  main, 
Where  they  laid  this  loved  one  down  to  sleep, 

Never  to  wake  again. 

'Tis  holy  ground — the  Dove  of  Peace 
Is  brooding  in  the  shade  ; 

Is  hovering  now  with  folded  wings 
Where  she  is  lowly  laid. 

Blow  softly,  gales  !  for  he  no  more, 

St.  Helen,  rests  in  thee ; 
He  whose  dominion  shook  the  earth 

And  stopped  but  with  the  sea. 

But  they  have  given  her  a  place. 

The  lov'd,  the  good,  the  fair ; 
Blow  softly,  softly,  gentle  gales ! 

A  saint  is  sleeping  there. 

O,  traveler,  as  you  pass  that  way. 

And  gaze  upon  that  shore, 
Think  not  of  him  whose  conquering  sword 

Is  sheathed  for  evermore. 


l66  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

Think  not  upon  his  iron  heart 

And  on  his  warrior  form  ; 
Think  not  of  earth's  distracted  throes 

Of  battle  and  of  storm  ; 

But  think  of  her,  whose  holy  dust 

Is  mingled  with  the  sod ; 
Of  her,  whose  fearless  hand  upheld 

The  banner  of  our  God ; 

Of  her,  who  went  in  faith  to  show, 

To  blinded  pagan  eyes, 
The  "  Star  of  Bethlehem"  shining  high 

O'er  Burmah's  darkened  skies. 

A  rallying  point  in  years  to  come 

Shall  that  lone  island  be 
For  all  that  bear  the  Word  of  Life 

Across  the  trackless  sea. 

There  shall  they  rouse  these  many  hearts, 

Disconsolate  awhile : 
"  Cheer,  comrades,  cheer  !  we're  passing  now 

St.  Helen's  sacred  isle. 

"  Cheer,  comrades,  cheer !     The  beacon  light 

Still  glows  above  her  tomb. 
On,  then,  to  trim  the  lamp  she  lit 

In  yonder  land  of  gloom," 

No  more  Napoleon's  wondrous  might 

Alone  shall  fill  the  breast ; 
But  mem'ries  of  her  deeds  of  love 

Shall  make  that  island  blest. 

They'll  think  of  him  as  of  a  storm 

That  swept  in  terror  by  ; 
But  she  shall  be  the  arch  of  Hope, 

Serenely  glittering  high. 


A    MEMORIAL.  167 

And  yet  that  tender,  fragile  frame, 

That  woman's  gentle  heart, 
Braved  more  than  that  proud  warrior  braved, 

To  act  her  holy  part. 

He  went  where'er  Ambition  called. 

And  pointed  out  the  track. 
And  culled  the  laurels  for  his  brow 

To  bring  in  triumph  back. 

She  humbly  bowed  and  offered  up, 

E'er  yet  the  deck  she  trod, 
Her  home,  her  friends,  her  hopes,  her  all, 

Upon  the  shrine  of  God. 

She  bade  farewell,  a  last  farewell, 

To  Home's  receding  shore ; 
Left  th'  warm  breast  where  she  was  rocked. 

To  press  it  nevermore. 

His  battles  were  with  warlike  men, 

Drawn  out  in  proud  array. 
Where  host  met  host,  and  strife  and  death 

Still  marked  the  bloody  day. 

Her  foes  were  all  the  hideous  train 

Of  heathen  pomp  and  pride ; 
But  there  the  woman  fearless  fought, 

And  there  the  martyr  died. 

He  made  a  ruin  where  he  stalked. 

And  all  his  trodden  path 
Is  darkened  by  the  thunder-cloud 

Of  agony  and  wrath. 

She  shed  a  light  around  her  way, 

And  with  the  steps  of  prayer 
Raised  up  a  ladder  to  the  skies 

Which  brought  down  angels  there. 


1 68  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

O,  rocky,  wave-girt  sepulchre, 

A  blessing  rest  on  thee  ! 
Guard  well  the  holy  dust  she  gave, 

Ivone  island  of  the  sea! 

Gretta. 

Napoleon  was  imprisoned  here  for  the  five  and  a 
half  years  just  preceding  his  death,  at  a  cost  to  the 
British  Crown  of  more  than  one  million  dollars  per 
annum.  When  dead,  it  did  not  occur,  as  it  seems,  to 
any  kingdom  under  the  sun  that  it  would  be  a  priv- 
ilege to  inscribe  something  upon  his  tomb,  although 
his  remains  lay  upon  the  island  for  nearly  twenty 
years.  Mrs.  ly.  H.  Sigourney,  in  fine  poetic  fervor,  in- 
dulges the  pleasant  conceit  of  a  challenge  to  the 
nations  of  the  earth  to  step  forward  and  give  an 
inscription  : 

"  But  there  was  silence.     Not  a  sceptred  hand 
Received  the  challenge. 

And  lone  St.  Helena,  h^art-sick  and  gray 
'Neath  rude  Atlantic's  scourging,  bade  the  moon, 
With  silent  finger,  point  the  traveler's  gaze 
To  an  unhonored  tomb." 

Some  tourists  had  made  the  following  record,  upon 
which  her  lines  were  suggested :  "  The  moon  of  St. 
Helena  shone  out,  and  there  we  saw  the  face  of 
Napoleon's  sepulchre,  characterless,  U7iinscribedr 

This  cannot  be  said  of  the  grave  of  her  who  first 
sat  at  Je.sus'  feet  and  learned  of  Him  to  bear  the  Cross, 
and  then  bestowed  the  plenitude  of  her  love  and  the 
fruits  of  her  culture  upon  the  cause  of  human  salva- 
tion which  He  loved  even  unto  the  death.     It  was  fur- 


A   MEMORIAL.  169 

nished  at  once,  without  respect  to  the  removal  of  the 
remains,  with  suitable  stones  and  a  full  inscription,  that 
the  tourist  need  not  be  ignorant  of  the  holiness  of  the 
ground  on  which  he  might  tread,  and  that  the  loving 
might  be  able  to  identify  the  spot.  The  bright  tropical 
moon  performs  for  her  not  a  poetic  but  a  practical  of- 
fice, enabling  any  one  to  read  what  the  hand  of  love 
has  traced.     Her  husband  framed  the  inscription,  viz. : 


Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

SARAH    B.  JUDSON, 

Member  of  the  American  Baptist  Mission 
to  burmah, 
Formerly  wife  of  the  Rev.  George  D.  Boardman,  of 
Tavoy,  and  lately  wife  of  the  Rev.  Adoniram 
Judson,  of  Maulmain  ;  who  died  in  this  port 
Sept.  I,  1845,  on  her  passage  to  the  United  States, 
in  the  42d  \'ear  of  her  age,  and  the  21st  of  her 
missionary' life. 

She  sleeps  sweetly  here  on  this  rock  of  the  ocean, 

Away  from  the  home  of  her  youth, 
And  far  from  the  laud  where  with  heartfelt  devotion 

She  scattered  the  bright  beams  of  truth. 


In  midsummer  of  the  following  year  Dr.  Judson  re- 
turned from  the  United  States  to  Burmah  with  a  third, 
a  highly  accomplished  wife.  She,  in  whom  he  found 
the  truest  sympathy,  had,  from  early  days,  entertained 
a  deep  interest  in  missions  and  followed  the  pioneers 
in  thought  and  prayer.  The  following,  found  among 
her  writings,  is  one  of  the  many  graceful  productions 
of  her  poetic  genius.  As  the  vessel  came  into  the 
latitude  of  St.  Helena,  and  no  doubt  within  view  of 
its  rocky  eminences,  her  heart  was  touched  by  the 
sacred  associations  of  the  island,  in  which  she  now 
claimed  a  part.  It  is  here  given,  not  merely  because 
of  its  literary  merit,  but  also  on  account  of  the  deli- 


lyo  SARAH    B.    JUDSON. 

cate  appreciation  of  the  subject  of  this  memorial  and 
of  her  own  honorable  succession  to  her  name  and 
place,  evinced  by  the  author : 

A  TRIBUTE. 

OFF  ST.   HELENA,   AUGUST,   1846. 

Blow  softly,  gales  !  a  tender  sigh 

Is  flung  upon  your  wing ; 
Lose  not  the  treasure,  as  ye  fly, 
Bear  it  where  love  and  beauty  lie, 

Silent  and  withering. 

Flow  gently,  waves !  a  tear  is  laid 

Upon  your  heaving  breast ; 
Leave  it  within  yon  dark  rock's  shade, 
Or  weave  it  in  an  iris  braid. 

To  crown  the  Christian's  rest. 

Bloom,  ocean-isle  !  lone  ocean-isle  ! 

Thou  keep'st  a  jewel  rare ; 
Let  rugged  rock  and  dark  defile 
Above  the  slumbering  stranger  smile, 

And  deck  her  couch  with  care. 

Weep,  ye  bereaved !  a  dearer  head 

Ne'er  left  the  pillowing  breast ; 
The  good,  the  pure,  the  lovely  fled, 
When  mingling  with  the  shadowy  dead 

She  meekly  went  to  rest. 

Mourn,  Burmah,  mourn !  a  bow  which  spanned 

Thy  cloud  has  passed  away ; 
A  flower  has  withered  on  thy 'sand, 
A  pitying  spirit  left  thy  strand  ; 

A  saint  has  ceased  to  pray. 

Angels,  rejoice  !  another  string 

Has  caught  the  strains  above  ; 
Rejoice,  rejoice!  a  new-fledged  wing 
Around  the  Throne  is  hovering, 

In  sweet,  glad,  wondering  love. 


A    MEMORIAI,.  171 

Blow,  blow,  ye  gales  !  wild  billows  roll ! 

Unfurl  the  canvass  wide  ' 
On  !  where  she  labored  lies  our  goal ; — 
Weak,  timid,  frail,  yet  would  my  soul 

Fain  be  to  hers  allied. 


?     '/i! 


m 


PC         '',1 


m 

'W 


^ 


APPENDIX. 

SARAH  BOARDMAN  JUDSON,  born   at   Alstead,  N.  H., 

Nov.  4,  1803;   died  in  the  port  of  St.  Helena,  Sept.  i,  1845. 
Sarah  Ann  Boardman,  born  at  Calcutta,  Oct.  30,  1826;   died 

at  Tavoy,  July  8,  1829. 
George  D.  Boardman,  D.  D.,  born  at  Tavoy,  Aug.  18,  1828. 

Resides  in  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
JUDSON  Wade  Boardman,  born  at  Tavoy;  died  at  Maulmain, 

Sept.  8,  1830,  aged  eight  months. 


Abby  Ann  Judson,  born  at  Maulmain,  Oct.  31,  T835.     Resides 

in  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  teacher. 
Adoniram  Brown  Judson,  born  at  Maulmain,  April  7,  1837. 

Resides  in  New  York,  N.  Y. ;  physician. 
ElnaThan  Judson,  born  at  Maulmain,  July  15,  1838.     Resides 

in  Massachusetts. 
Henry  Judson,  born   at   Maulmain,  Dec.  11,   1839;    died   at 

Serampore,  July  30,  1841. 
Henry  Hali^  Judson,  born  at  Maulmain,  July  8,  1842.  Resides 

in  Illinois. 
Charles  Judson,  born  at  Maulmain,  Dec.  18,  1843;  ^^^^  same 

place,  Aug.  5,  1845,  while  the  parents  were  voyaging  to  the 

United  States. 
Edward  Judson,  D.  D..  born  at  Maulmain,  Dec.  27,  1844.     Re- 
sides in  New  York,  N.  Y. 


Emily  Frances,  the  only  other  surviving  child  of  Dr.  Judson, 
and  the  only  sur\nving  one  of  Emily  Chubbuck  Judson, 
was  born  at  Maulmain,  Dec.  24,  1847.  She  is  the  wife  of 
Rev.  T.  A.  T.  Hanna,  Falls  of  Schuylkill,  Pa.,  and  mother 
of  a  family  of  lovely  children. 

173 


174  APPENDIX. 


SEVERAL  productions  of  Mrs.  Judson's  poetic  tal- 
ent remain  besides  those  already  introduced;  the 
most  of  them  written  in  her  youth-time.  The  follow- 
ing, furnished  for  this  memorial  by  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Edwards,  w^as  written  years  before  she  expected  to  go 
to  Burmah.  It  is  the  natural  expression  of  youthful  pie- 
t}^  and  evinces  a  lively  interest  in  missions,  as  well  as 
the  tender,  loving  spirit  that  characterized  her.  Catha- 
rine Brown  was  of  the  tribe  of  Cherokees,  for  whose 
evangelization  she  felt  such  a  deep  concern  : 

Ah,  Cherokee  !  where  is  the  daughter  of  Brown  ? 

She  is  resting  beneath  the  tall  tree ; 
But  her  spirit,  so  spotless,  has  silently  flown 

Far  away  to  Cullulla  Tahahee.  * 
Death  marked  her  his  prey  in  the  blossom  of  youth ; 

From  his  grasp  no  kind  angel  could  save ; 
And  innocence,  meekness,  religion  and  truth. 

All  slumber  in  Catharine's  grave. 

The  heralds  of  grace  drop  affectionate  tears. 

The  maids  of  the  forest  all  mourn  ; 
E'en  the  heart  of  the  warrior  is  sad,  when  he  hears 

That  the  flower  of  the  valley  is  gone. 
Thou  foet  of  the  Indians  who  love  the  true  God, 

Who  hast  come  from  the  far  western  wave 
To  stain  thy  sharp  arrow  in  Cherokee  blood, 

Step  softly  o'er  Catharine's  grave. 

-  Cherokee  name  of  the  true  God.  t  The  Osages. 


APPENDIX.  175 

Ah,  who  is  this  youth,  in  whose  bosom  the  fire 

Of  charity  rises  so  high. 
Who  ardently  pants,  in  the  land  of  his  sire. 

To  labor  for  Jesus  and  die  ? 
This  youth  is  the  brother  belov'd  of  the  maid 

Who  sleeps  in  the  dark  narrow  cave ; 
He  hastes  to  the  wood,  where  in  childhood  he  played, 

To  preach  beside  Catharine's  grave. 

Ye  daughters  who  dwell  in  the  pleasant  green  shade, 

Whom  Catharine  tenderly  loved, 
She  bade  you  repent,  for  your  pardon  she  prayed, 

And  wept  when  she  saw  you  unmoved. 
No  more  will  she  point  you  to  Calvary's  scenes, 

Or  tell  you  that  Jesus  will  save. 
Come,  chant  your  soft  dirges  in  sorrowful  strains. 

As  ye  stand  around  Catharine's  grave. 

Though  cold  be  her  pillow,  and  dark  her  abode. 

As  the  shades  which  at  eventide  play. 
Invisible  spirits  encircle  the  sod. 

And  watch  her  slow  mouldering  clay. 
How  great  is  the  joy  of  that  heavenly  choir. 

Each  silent  and  beautiful  eve, 
When  to  Jesus'  praise  they  awake  the  sweet  lyre, 

As  they  bend  over  Catharine's  grave  ! 

Their  notes  softly  sound  through  the  silence  of  night — 

"Dear Savior,  all  praise  shall  be  Thine." 
Ere  long,  in  bright  glory,  the  Gospel's  pure  light 

On  each  Cherokee  dwelling  shall  shine ; 
And  when  at  the  voice  of  Cullulla  Tahahee 

The  dead  their  lone  mansions  shall  leave, 
A  form  wrapp'd  in  garments  of  light  we  shall  see 

Arising  from  Catharine's  grave. 

S.  B.  H. 


176  APPENDIX. 


WRITTEN   BY  SARAH    HALL,  AND   READ  IN  THE    PRESENCE  OF  ANN   H.  JUDSON, 

AT   SALEM,  MASS.        THE   OCCASION   IS   FULLY   MENTIONED    IN  THE 

LATTER   PART   OF   THE   THIRD   CHAPTER   OF   THIS   WORK. 

'Tis  the  voice  of  deep  sorrow  from  India's  shore, 

The  flower  of  our  churches  is  withered,  is  dead ; 
The  gem  that  shone  brightly  will  sparkle  no  more, 
And  the  tears  of  the  Christian  profusely  are  shed. 
Two  youths  of  Columbia,  with  hearts  glowing  w^arni, 

Embarked  on  the  billows  far  distant  to  rove. 
To  bear  to  the  nations,  all  wrapped  in  thick  gloom, 

The  lamp  of  the  gospel — the  message  of  love. 
But  Wheelock  now  slumbers  beneath  the  cold  wave, 
And  Colman  lies  low  in  the  dark,  cheerless  grave. 
Mourn,  daughters  of  Arracan,  mourn  ! 
The  rays  of  that  star,  clear  and  bright, 
That  so  sweetly  on  Chittagong  shone, 
Are  shrouded  in  black  clouds  of  night, 
For  Colman  is  gone ! 

At  that  sorrowful  hour,  that  moment  of  woe, 

When  his  cheek,  lately  glowing  with  health,  was  all  pale; 
And  his  lone  wife,  disconsolate,  feeble  and  low. 
Was  sad,  and  no  Christian  replied  to  her  wail ; 
Did  not  angels  in  sympathy  shed  the  soft  tear, 

As  they  gazed  from  their  thrones  far  beyond  the  blue  sky? 
Oh,  no ;  for  the  seraph  of  mercy  was  near, 

To  bid  /itjn  rejoice,  wipe  the  tear  from  /ler  eye. 
They  saw,  and  with  rapture  continued  their  lays, 
How  great  is  Jehovah!  how  deep  are  His  ways! 
The  spirit  of  love  from  on  high 
The  hearts  of  the  righteous  hath  fired ; 
Lo!  they  come,  and  with  transport  they  cry. 
We  will  go  where  our  brother  expired, 
And  labor  and  die. 


APPENDIX.  177 

Oh,  Colnian!  thy  father  weeps  not  on  thy  grave, 

Thy  heart-riven  mother  ne'er  sighs  o'er  thy  dust; 
But  the  long  Indian  grass  there  most  sweetly  shall  wave. 

And  the  drops  of  the  evening  descend  on  the  just. 
Cold,  silent,  and  dark  is  the  narrow  abode, 

But  not  long  wilt  thou  sleep  in  that  dwelling  of  gloom, 
For  soon  shall  be  heard  the  great  trump  of  our  God, 

To  summon  all  nations  to  hear  their  last  doom ; 
A  garland  of  amaranth  then  shall  be  thine. 
And  thy  name  on  the  martyrs'  bright  register  shine. 
Oh,  what  glory  will  burst  on  thy  view, 
When  are  placed  by  the  Judge  of  the  earth 
The  flowers  that  in  India  grew 
By  thy  care,  on  the  never-pale  wreath 
Encircling  thy  brow ! 


178  APPENDIX. 


A  MOST  inspiring  history  of  the  Karen  Mission,  by 
Rev.  E.  F.  Merriam,  of  the  Mission  Rooms,  Bos- 
ton, closes  with  the  following  paragraphs : 

"In  1878,  fifty  years  from  the  baptism  of  the  first 
Karen  convert,  Ko  Thah-byu,  the  number  of  members 
in  the  Karen  Baptist  Churches  in  Burmah  w^as  20,007. 
This  jubilee  of  the  Karen  Mission  was  celebrated  at 
Bassein,  May  i6th  (the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Ko  Thah- 
byu's  baptism),  by  the  dedication  of  the  Ko  Thah-byu 
Memorial  Hall,  for  the  use  of  the  Bassein  Sgau  Ka- 
ren Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  and  accommo- 
dating three  hundred  boarding  pupils.  This,  with 
other  auxiliary  buildings,  was  built  entirely  at  the 
cost  of  the  Bassein  Karens,  and  on  the  day  of  dedi- 
cation the  building  fund  had  reached  the  sum  of 
Rs.  42,342-3  or  about  $22,000,  and  all  debts  were 
paid.  During  that  year  the  contributions  of  the  Bas- 
sein Sgau  Karens,  for  all  religious  and  educational 
purposes,  amounted  to  more  than  Rs.  50,000.  In 
addition  to  their  usual  annual  contributions,  they 
have  since  raised  an  endowment  fund  for  the  In- 
stitute, which  is  invested  in  the  United  States,  and 
in  1884  amounted  to  $13,669.50.  The  total  contri- 
butions to  their  building  fund  made  by  this  people 
was  $30,479.78. 

"  From  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Burmah 
Baptist  Convention  in  1865,  repeated  attempts  had 
been  made  toward  the  evangelization  of  the  Karens 


APPENDIX.  179 

in  Siam,  by  American  and  native  missionaries,  but 
nothing  of  a  permanent  character  was  effected  until 
1 88 1,  when  an  expedition  under  Rev.  David  Webster 
and  Rev.  Walter  Bushell,  with  several  native  preach- 
ers, penetrated  into  the  Laos  country  of  Northern 
Siam,  beyond  Chiengmai  (Zimmai),  and  found  con- 
siderable communities  of  Karens  in  the  Lakon  dis- 
trict ready  to  receive  the  Gospel.  They  baptized 
seventy,  and  formed  three  churches.  The  mission- 
aries soon  returned  to  Burmah,  leaving  several  na- 
tive preachers  to  carry  on  the  work,  several  of  whom 
had  their  families  with  them ;  but  within  a  year  or 
more  all  the  preachers  except  one  returned  to  Bur- 
mah, and  the  life  of  the  new  interest  was  endangered. 
In  1884  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webster  returned  to  Chiengmai, 
and  have  been  designated  to  the  work  among  the  Ka- 
rens of  Northern  Siam.  In  1883  the  completed  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible  into  Pwo  Karen,  the  work  of  Rev. 
D.  L.  Brayton,  assisted  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  T. 
Rose,  w^as  issued  from  the  mission  press  at  Rangoon, 
and  put  into  general  circulation,  thus  giving  the  en- 
tire Word  of  God  to  all  the  Karens  in  Burmah. 

"The  Karen  Mission  presents  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  exhibitions  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel 
which  the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  the  work  is  still 
proceeding  with  always  encouraging  prospects.  The 
Christian  Karens  are  raised  above  their  heathen  neigh- 
bors in  industry  and  order,  and  have  gained  the  ap- 
proval of  the  government.  The  Administration  Re- 
port of  1880-81  says:  'The  Karen  race  and  British 
government  owe  a  great  debt  to  the  American  mis- 
sionaries who  have,  under  Providence,  wrought  this 
change  among  the  Karens  of  Burmah.'  " 


ological  Seminary-Speer 


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